Volkswagen

Volkswagen, VW, is  based in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen was originally founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front. The Volkswagen Group, included the car marques Audi, Bentley Motors, Bugatti , Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda Auto. Volkswagen means “people’s car” in German. VW’s current advertising slogan is Das Auto which means the car. Previously it was Aus Liebe zum Automobil, which translates to: Out of Love for the Car, or, For Love of the Automobile.
Germans wanted an affordable car. Prior to 1930 most cars cost more than a years salary. In 1933 Adolf Hitler met with Ferdinand Porsche to discuss Hitler’s idea of a volkswagen. Hitler wanted a people’s car that could carry 5 people, cruise up to 62mph, and cost only 1000 Reich Marks.
The VW3s had metal floors, swing axle rear transmissions, Porsche suspensions, and backbone floorpans. After testing several engines, a flat four cylinder aircooled four stroke engine was chosen.  The Volkswagen had front hinged doors, split windows in the rear and larger hoods.
Hitler abruptly changed the name of the car to KdF Wagen. KdF stood for “Kraft durch Freude” which meant “Strength through Joy.” Porsche became upset and was not a member of the Nazi party.
After the war the British took over the factory. In 1945 the British turned over the company to the German government. The first Volkswagen was imported to the U.S. in the late 1940’s. The Beetle was popular during the 1960’s.
One of the newest Volkswagen cars is the 1L. It is a lightweight two-person vehicle made out of a magnesium frame covered by an unpainted carbon-fiber skin. Every car part is intended to reduce the vehicle’s weight. Aluminum brakes, carbon-fiber wheels, titanium hubs, and ceramic bearings all contribute to the vehicle’s light weight of a mere 290 kg. To increase the aerodynamics of the vehicle, there are no rearview mirrors. The car is equipped with cameras that display visual information to the driver through the internal LCD screen. Each gallon of fuel will take you over 235 miles. The fuel tank holds just 1.7 gallons, making the entire travel distance capability about 400 miles per tank. The car’s top speed is 75mph.