Not until Volkswagen came up with a compact car called VW Golf did the German automaker find a successful replacement to its iconic VW Beetle. For most parts of Volkswagen’s history the Beetle had been its most produced and popular car, until the time came when its novelty had worn thin. As the car industry became more competitive Volkswagen had nothing that could make a decent showing in the market but the Beetle. Even for the car’s manufacturer the VW Beetle feat was hard to outdo.

Volkswagen tried a slew of Beetle offshoots to pump interest back to its vehicle designs. Celebrated for its “people’s car” concept, Volkswagen innovation focused more on economical, comfort-tuned vehicles rather than on performance-class cars. Volkswagen gambled on its seminal idea, and it paid off when the front-wheel drive of the hatchback VW Golf showed the realization of the people’s car concept.