Volkswagen Beetle

The Beetle was a coupe marketed by Volkswagen from the forties to seventies in the United States, and decades longer in Mexico. The name "Volkswagen" was German for "people's car". Adolf Hitler commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to create a vehicle anyone could afford. The Beetle was noted for being rear-engined, making for a larger cargo area. The Beetle was used mainly in touring car racing, including the under two liter category in Trans Am. The car became famous after the Herbie series of Disney Films, creating a Beetle with a mind of its own. The model was revived decades later, but was criticized for not being as barebones, not being rear-engined, having a larger displacement, and being more expensive. This "New Beetle" (now known simply as the Beetle) has not competed as much in racing aside from cup racing. The Beetle formed the basis for the Autobot known as Bumblebee in the original Transformers series. When the Transformers returned, it was criticized that Bumblebee was a Chevrolet Camaro rather than a Beetle. Disney attempted to revive the Herbie franchise, but with poor reviews.