According to Wikipedia, the Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German the Käfer (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, intended for five occupants (later, Beetles were restricted to four people in some countries), that was manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.
The need for a people's car (Volkswagen in German), its concept and its functional objectives were formulated by the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country's new road network (Reichsautobahn). Members of the National Socialist party, with an additional dues surcharge, were promised the first production, but the war shifted production to military vehicles instead. Lead engineer Ferdinand Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalise the design. Béla Barényi is credited with first conceiving the original design for this car in 1925,—notably by Mercedes-Benz, on their website, including his original technical drawing,—five years before Porsche claimed to have done his initial version.
The influence on Porsche's design of other contemporary cars, such as the Tatra V570, and the work of Josef Ganz remains a subject of dispute. The result was the first Volkswagen, and one of the first rear-engined cars since the Brass Era. With 21,529,464 produced, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made.
Although designed in the 1930s, due to World War II, civilian Beetles only began to be produced in significant numbers by the end of the 1940s. The car was then internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the Volkswagen.
Later models were designated Volkswagen 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302, or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement, the latter two derived from the model number. The car became widely known in its home country as the Käfer (German for "beetle", cognate with English chafer) and was later marketed under that name in Germany, and as the Volkswagen in other countries. For example, in France it was known as the Coccinelle (French for ladybug).
![Turtle Holding Pillar at Sagrada Familia [enlarge]](https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1348/1303862803_f282f9428d_o.jpg)
![A Face-Like Flower [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1205/1304717204_207f40f791_o.jpg)
![Agbar Tower [enlarge]](https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1288/1303859119_252189c4e5_o.jpg)
![View From Sagrada Familia Spires [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1173/1303849881_e4dc601437_o.jpg)
![Dr. Robert Foundation in Sant Pau Hospital: Tile [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1264/1304725880_89fa47ebbd_o.jpg)
![Scale Model By Gaudi [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1063/1304721302_0c410f84f6_o.jpg)
![Sant Pau Hospital: Tower [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1429/1303839977_534e5af1d6_o.jpg)
![Port of Barcelona in Spain [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1203/1296921954_8c206802bd_o.jpg)
![Montjuic Cannons Facing Barcelona Port [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1116/1289715854_3c58cc34f8_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars Exhibition: Auto Retro in Barcelona [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1331/1117664192_cce6281355_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars Exhibition in Barcelona [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1372/1116833213_a2aa486d98_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars Series: Volkswagen [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/1117677938_33cd56089f_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars: Citröen DS - Back View [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1360/1116822529_407ed0327f_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars: Citroen DS - Front View [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1227/1117681558_1f90db7897_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars Series 2 [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1428/1116837713_1811a10439_o.jpg)
![Classic Cars Series [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/1116849553_ab7feb3911_o.jpg)
![Figure of Saint Holding Child at Park Guell [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/1117745300_9ef7384ca6_o.jpg)
![Cello Player [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1329/1116911851_9796673b92_o.jpg)
![Girl on Fountain [enlarge]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1434/1116914103_0d6685f910_o.jpg)
