Anniversary: With the Beetle came success
The end of April marks the 75th anniversary of the cooperation between Volkswagen and Amag. For a long time, the VW Beetle dominated our streetscape. To mark the anniversary, there will be a special show at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne.
In 1946, no one would have thought that just one year after the end of the war, VW Beetles would once again be rolling off the production line in Wolfsburg. AMAG company founder Walter Haefner recognized the great potential of the small Volkswagen and contacted the VW plant - with success. On April 29, 1948, he signed the import contract for the Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. After the Netherlands and Belgium, Switzerland was the third export market for the car developed by Ferdinand Porsche.
Robust technology and high quality
The Beetle's triumphant success in Switzerland was based on its robust and easy-to-repair technology, high quality and dense network of representatives. In May 1948, a first contingent of 25 VW Beetles arrived in Switzerland (gallery center). For a long time, the Beetle was the most driven car in Switzerland. As early as 1954, VW reached a market share of 30 percent with only one model and more than 10,000 deliveries. The peak was in 1961, when 21 111 units were sold, and in 1970 there were still more than 17 000 units. Finally, on February 17, 1972, Beetle number 1 500 7034 were built - overtaking the legendary Ford T. The Beetle was world champion.
Switzerland was an open market
In cities, on mountain passes and on the shores of lakes, there was always a VW Beetle to be seen. Often there were dozens of them on the most beautiful promenades in Switzerland. The popularity of the Volkswagen becomes all the more obvious when you consider that practically all the world's car manufacturers were represented in Switzerland. Our country was an open market at that time, and the brands fought for the favor of buyers with numerous models. The first successful chapter in Swiss VW history ended on March 31, 1983, when the last Beetle was handed over to its buyer.
Special exhibition at the Museum of Transport
On April 29, 75 VW buses T1 and T2 from Amag in Schinznach-Bad and 75 Beetles from Aarberg set off in the morning (gallery on the left and right) for the Museum of Transport in Lucerne. The reason: An exhibition celebrating the anniversary is being opened there, which will be open to the public from May 1. In the Road Transport Hall, 20 Volkswagens from 1948 to the present are on display. Among other things, the rare hybrid model XL1, of which only 200 were built between 2014 and 2016, is on display. Parts of the exhibition are also dedicated to VW commercial vehicles. The visit of the show is included in the entrance fee and is possible during the normal opening hours of the museum.
