The omnipresent VW Beetle in the European street scene
If you look at photos of traffic situations or roads from the 1960s and 1970s, you immediately notice the dominance of the VW Beetle.
Never before and never since has a single car with the same visual design dominated the streetscape so strongly, at least not in Europe. The Ford T model will probably have had a similar influence on America.
The supremacy of the VW Beetle was certainly due to its brilliant sales, but it certainly also helped that a Beetle simply lasted longer than many other cars. And, when asked about the cars their father (or grandfather) drove, almost everyone can name at least one VW Beetle, because the Beetle permeated all social classes and was used as a work and leisure vehicle.
Today, the Beetle is increasingly an exception, having disappeared from everyday mobility and heads turn when the cuddly vehicle whizzes past.
Incidentally, the two pictures were taken long after the VW Beetle reached its sales peak, one in 1977, the other in 1982, by which time modern competitors such as the VW Golf had already been around for quite a while. The second picture was a contribution to road safety education and shows the disadvantages of dark clothing in road traffic.
