VW Beetle celebrates 65 years in the US

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Volkswagen Beetle: 1949 and 2014

Although the existence of the Volkswagen Beetle dates back to the early 1930s, it wasn't until 1949 that the first of what would turn out to be millions would find its way to the US. Sixty-five years ago this month, Dutch businessman Ben Pon, Sr. brought the first Beetle - or Type 1 - to the US, and Volkswagen is marking the occasion not with a special edition, but with a small gallery of images showing a gorgeous '49 Type 1 alongside a 2014 Beetle.

In that first year, only two Beetles were sold in the US, but just 20 years later, the car had become the face of a generation, selling 423,000 units in 1968 alone. Even though that's about 10 times as many Beetles sold in 2013, the bubbly hatchback remains one of the more popular vehicles in VW's lineup. Scroll down to read VW's informative press release marking the Beetle's 65th year in the US, and be sure to check out the great photographs, too.

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VW Beetle celebrates 65 years in the US originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Jan 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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