People sometimes forget that Volkswagen used to be the number-one-selling import in the United States; it was the car company to beat. The company rose to that lofty position mainly on the strength of its hot-selling Beetle. The little Beetle was a good combination of low price, high quality and good fuel economy. It was also seen as a counterculture statement, a protest against the large, heavy, gas-guzzling American cars so prevalent back then. Buyers tended to overlook the Beetle’s antiquated engineering and minimal comfort, and probably didn’t realize how unsafe the little cars could be in an accident. Beetle buyers were looking for basic “Point A to Point B” transportation at low cost, and the Beetle reliably provided it. For years, the little cars sold like crazy.
But the reality is that no company can live forever on just one car. People have varied needs, and the only way to
