TL;DR
Though the VW Beetle was born from Nazi racist propaganda, it was rebranded after the war as a symbol of West Germany's economic miracle, its Nazi origins deliberately faded into an 'open secret'.
Today, the Volkswagen Beetle conjures images of cuteness, classic design, and German engineering. But, as the author reminds us, the car's birth certificate bears the Nazi party's name.
Pay first, dream later
In 1938, the Nazis launched the 'KdF-Wagen' (later the Beetle), promising an affordable car for every German. Jews were banned from buying one, while Hitler himself received one of the few produced. Ordinary people could join an installment plan, pasting 5-Reichsmark stamps weekly until four books were filled in exchange for a car.
But when war broke out, the factory switched to military production, and citizens' savings went up in smoke. It took over three decades for Volkswagen to finally refund 120,000 stamp-book claims.
Turn the page, and the car sells
After the war, the car was rebranded as a symbol of West Germany's 'economic miracle'. Ads touted its technical and economical appeal, yet said nothing of its origins. The author argues that miracles stay miraculous only when their genesis is made invisible.
In 1991, Volkswagen finally admitted its Nazi-era crimes and compensated forced laborers. The Beetle's Nazi past remains an 'open secret'—known but unspoken in German memory.
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