The origin of this car comes from the time of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Adolf Hitler wanted private vehicles can be available to the general public, and assign an engineer, Ferdinand Porsche, to design the vehicle. Hitler requires that these vehicles must be capable of carrying two adults and three young children, at a speed of 100 km / h, and the price does not exceed the price of the motorcycle luggage rack price plus side of the motorcycle at the time.

Actual car designers are still controversial, because although officially Ferdinand Porsche was the designer, in the 1920s, Joseph Ganz has designed a similar car. The car is smaller and cheaper, but car makers are not interested, just two motorcycle manufacturers who are interested. Adler Maikäfer produce, and produce the Standard Superior, and campaigning in the ad as 'Der Deutsche Volkswagen' (the German people's car). When the Nazis came to power, they like Superior, but not long later, Joseph Ganz thrown into jail. (He later fled to Switzerland). Ganz imprisonment possible reason is because the Nazis knew that he was a Jew.

Nazi government then approached the Porsche, who designed a prototype car that is similar to Superior, which is called Käfer. According to Volkswagen, not only Ganz who has designed a car with a similar design, and Käfer itself is not designed according to Ganz design. Volkswagen company could survive after World War to the efforts of a British soldier, Major Ivan Hirst. After the war, Hirst was ordered to head the factory which has been corrupted and controlled by the Allied bombardment of the United States. Starting with his business away unexploded bomb caught in between the production machine, he then managed to convince the British armed forces to 20,000 cars ordered. In 1946, the factory has been able to produce 1000 cars per month.

Production VW Beetle "Type 1" growing rapidly from year to year, and in 1954 reached 1 million cars. In 1973, production had reached 16 million, and the popularity of cars has spread to various parts of the world. This car has a nickname which vary in each country, his name is usually a term that tries to describe a unique form: Käfer in Germany; Sedan, then Fusca in Brazil; Coccinelle in France; Σκαθάρι (Scathari meaning beetle) or Σκαραβαίος (Scaraveos which means beetle species Scarabaeidae) in Greece; Maggiolino in Italy; Sedan or Vocho in Mexico; Kever in the Netherlands; kotseng Cuba (which means 'bent backs car') / "pagong" (turtle) in the Philippines; Garbus (which means 'Hunchback') in Poland; Brouk in the Czech Republic; Carocha in Portugal; Escarabajo in Spain and Latin America; Hipushit in Israel; Косτенурка (Kostenurka) in Bulgaria (which means turtle); عقروقة (Ag-ru-ga) in Iraq; Boble (bubble) in Norway; Buba in Croatia; Bug in the United States, and of course Beetle in Indonesia.