This Date in History

January 17,1949

German Bug Invades America

The first Volkswagen Beetle in the U.S. arrived from Germany. The little Volkswagen ("people's car") was a sturdy vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche at the request of Adolf Hitler. The car was meant to be a durable workhorse car for the common German man. After the defeat of the Nazi government in Germany, the VW Beetle remained a popular car, and its reputation for affordable reliability made it a profitable export.