1972 Volkswagen Beetle Boon - Is It Over? - 2-Page Vintage Automobile Article for Sale

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1972 Volkswagen Beetle Boon - Is It Over? - 2-Page Vintage Automobile Article For Sale

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1972 Volkswagen Beetle Boon - Is It Over? - 2-Page Vintage Automobile Article:
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1972 Volkswagen Beetle Boon - Is It Over? - 2-Page Vintage Automobile Article
Original, Vintage Magazine ArticlePage Size: Approx. 8\" x 11\" (21 cm x 28 cm) each pageCondition: Good
VW\'s Rudolf Leiding looks to a new People\'s CarWill the ageless Beetle go the way of the Model T as aresult of Volkswagen’s insistence on not changing the car’sbody design? Will it succumb to Naderism and U.S. safetyand emission regulations? Or lastly, but least likely in thisday of swift technological advancements, will the Bug simplylive on until its annual mechanical refinement eventuallytransforms it into an up-to-date automobile?If VW1 s sales were as strong today as they’ve been formost of the company’s 25-year history, the latter questionmight easily be answered, yes. Unfortunately, Beetle saleshave not lately been increasing in the same percentages ashave those of the domestic and Asian competition.In fact, Rudolf Leiding, VW’s new boss, has said that hisgreatest worry is the declining growth of Volkswagen sales inthe United States. But Leiding doesn’t attribute the saggingsales curve to the Beetle’s antiquated design. He feels theregression can be contributed to soaring prices, dictated bythe revaluation of the Deutschmark and increased laborcosts. Since 1969, Leiding points out, the sticker price of theBeetle has increased over 25 percent. At this rate, theunder-$2000 Beetle may well disappear next year!It’s doubtful, however, that price is the only factoraffecting the current Beetle slump in this country. TheBeetle’s 1930-ish design is beginning to take its toll onnationwide sales figures. After all, its basic styling andgeneral drivetrain layout was created before most of the newcompetition was even in existence. Although the car isneither short nor narrow by today’s standards, the interiordimensions could hardly be called spacious when comparedto the new crop of small cars.Leg room in the Beetle is minimal front and rear, as isshoulder and hip room. The addition of built-in headrestraints in 1968 made the already cramped interior seemeven more so. The dash and windshield are so close theymake the car almost claustrophobic inside.Turning to the exterior, the VW is quite tall, and accord-ingly has a high center of gravity. This, combined with therear engine layout (60 percent of the weight is over the rearwheels), has resulted in a car that is only slightly more thanmediocre in the handling department. With emission andsafety requirements becoming stiffer each year, it may wellbe impossible for Volkswagen to keep the Beetle abreast ofthe standards. As it is, the ’72 Beetle doesn’t seem toperform nearly as well as pre-emission cars. Interior paddinghas reduced passenger accommodations. New bumper lawswill probably require that the Beetle’s frame be stiffened totake the loads imposed by the 5-mph crash tests. This extraweight from the heavier bumpers and frame strengthening,along with the tighter emission controls, are likely to tax theBeetle’s air-cooled, 1 600cc powerplant to its limits, makingthe VW more than just under-powered.Although looks have never been a Beetle strong point, itsbeauty, or lack o-f it, is no longer only humorous. Instead,the Bug’s styling is a serious asset, being far and away themost easily recognizable automobile ever produced. And thismay be one reason behind Volkswagen’s insistence onretaining the ungainly body configuration. Since no other carmanufactured by VW has sold like the Beetle, VW may figurethat the risk is too great to change the face of success.But whether or not a new Beetle is on the way, one thingis for certain, the atmosphere in Wolfsburg is anything butcalm these days, especially since Leiding assumed the helm.
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