In the case of “The People’s Car” that one is under engineered IMO.
I had friends in the 80s that loved those things in the form of sand buggies.....me? I never understood a car with no A/C......ESPECIALLY where you and I live.
Inexpensive yes.....comfortable in extreme temperatures....not so much.
Check
Check out that kraut standing there dutifully standing guard for the uh... youknowwhatkindawagen.
IIRC, Nazi Germany coerced citizens to buy into a sort of layaway/bond that would save up enough money to buy a Volkswagen. They got ripped off because the relative few that rolled off the assembly line went to party apparatchiks and the like.
I’ve never seen that VW ad, what issue of LIFE magazine was it in, it makes the car look strong and bold, a different take from how air tight they were, like the Ted Kennedy ad showed.