National Fusca (Beetle) Day celebrates world auto icon

This Friday, January 20, thousands of fans celebrate National Day of the Beetle (Fusca), an automobile that is considered one of the most important and charismatic in history. With more than 21 million units produced worldwide, the Beetle has become an icon, loved by millions of people and with shapes recognized everywhere.

The model went out of production in Germany shortly after the first Christmas after the end of World War II in 1945. In Brazil, it was with him that Volkswagen started operations in 1953 - the model was mounted in a shed in the neighborhood Of Ipiranga. His engine was 1,200 cc.

From 1959 began to be manufactured in the Country, already in the unit Anchieta, until 1986. Its production was resumed in 1993 and lasted until 1996. Throughout its history, the Beetle had more than 3.1 million units sold in Brazil.

During this period, the Volkswagen Sedan had engine versions of 1,300 cc (from 1967 with 45 cv gross), 1,500 cc (introduced in 1970 with 52 cv gross, which earned it the nickname of Fuscão) and 1,600 cc In 1974, with double carburation, yielding 65 bhp gross). The shift was always manual four-speed. The model also had several restylings and special series, like the Silver, of 1979.

From the original Volkswagen Sedan, the name was officially replaced by Beetle in 1983. In 1984 the model gained disc brakes at the front and was only produced in the 1,600 version - the following year it would receive version 1.600 driven by ethanol.

The combination of low cost of acquisition and maintenance with a resistance able to face the paths and conditions of use more difficult soon transformed the small Volkswagen in spearhead of the motorization of Brazil. More than a generation of Brazilian drivers learned to drive in a Beetle (Fusca) and opted for it when acquiring its first car.

From imported to Brazilian

The first Volkswagen Sedan, made in Germany, arrived in Brazil in 1950. Small, with air-cooled rear engine and a design totally different from the traditional one at the time, when the streets were dominated by big sedans, the car drew attention wherever it happened . Its ability to carry up to five people, low fuel consumption and mechanical resistance soon began to conquer consumers.

The Volkswagen model began to be assembled in the country with imported components as early as 1953. Production in Brazil began in 1959 in Volkswagen's first factory outside Germany in São Bernardo do Campo.

The history of Beetle (Fusca) in Brazil has a peculiarity: the return of the production in 1993, seven years after its stoppage, in 1986. At the request of the then President of the Republic, Itamar Franco, the car was re-produced in a version exclusively Ethanol, and stopped being manufactured in 1996.

Fusca was the best-selling car in Brazil for 24 consecutive years, a mark that was surpassed only in 2011 by another Volkswagen model: Gol, the market leader for 27 years.

Internationally, the Beetle continued to be manufactured in Mexico - where it is known as "Vocho" - until 2003.

The renewed tradition: the New Beetle

The Beetle's (Fusca) image was revived by Volkswagen in 1998 with the release of the New Beetle. With lines inspired by the original version and built on a modern platform with front-wheel drive and liquid-cooled engine, the New Beetle immediately won a large number of fans, reaching more than 1 million units sold by 2010.

New Beetle: the most sporty

The New Beetle arrived in Brazil in 2012. With more sporty lines and having in the dirigibility its high point, the model is equipped with the engine 2.0 TSI of 211 hp. The maximum torque, 280 Nm, is already reached from 1,700 rpm. With dual-clutch DSG gearbox, the 2.0 TSI Beetle has a top speed of 224 km / h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 6.9 seconds.