This text was not translated, because it is originally in English
Volkswagen is celebrating 65 years of its iconic Beetle model in the U. S.
In January of 1949, the first Volkswagen Type 1″ or Beetle was shipped to New York City by Ben Pon Sr. , a Dutch businessman and the worlds first official VW importer. That year also marked the first time that Volkswagen vehicles were sold in the U. S. The Beetle ultimately led to the establishment of the first Volkswagen of America headquarters in New Jersey in October 1955.
Since its arrival in the United States 65 years ago, the Volkswagen Beetle has preserved its reputation of being more than just a car, but a symbol of uniqueness and freedom, said Michael Horn, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.


By the 1960s, nearly 300,000 Beetles had been sold in the U. S. with as many as 423,008 Beetles sold a year by 1968. Last year, the German automaker sold 407,704 vehicles in the U. S. with over 43,000 of those being third-generation Beetles.
Since U. S. sales began, Volkswagen has sold over 5. 5 million units.