THE HITLER LEGACY FOR VOLKSWAGEN

What do the automobile multinational, the city of Wolfsburg and the Fusca have in common? All three were Hitler's creation. An inheritance not easy to manage, even 80 years later, says the journalist Felix Steiner.Who remembers the furore, almost exactly a year ago, when all the barracks of the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces, were searched for "relics" of the Nazi Wehrmacht? Weapons, medals, parts of uniforms, models: everything from the time of Adolf Hitler from now on had no place in the German Armed Forces.What would remain of the Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg if such a devastation were made? For - unlike the German military forces, which already existed long before Hitler - the automaker, the Fusca model with its long years of success, and the city of Wolfsburg were the exclusive fruit of the desire and will of the Führer.He, who did not have a driver's license, was the one who personally authorized Ferdinand Porsche's project. It was he who ordered the founding of the new company, after that none of the existing manufacturers wanted to produce the car according to its design and the ordered price. He was naturally present when, exactly 80 years ago, on May 26, 1938, the cornerstone of the factory was launched in - strategically favorable from the military point of view - center of the German Reich.

The "Volkswagen" ("car of the people"), which already exudes the scent of the time, should be the automobile counterpart to the "Volksempfänger" (people's receiver), the radio accessible to all, which has come to appear in kitchens and being German.But that never came true, because even before the factory was ready, the Volkswagen became the "Kübelwagen", the utility vehicle used by German infantrymen to roam across Europe and North Africa. For Porsche engineers, it was not really a surprise, because the military's applicability of the car was already part of the plans from the start.Only in the post-war period did Hitler's Beetle learn to walk, and became, ironically, the symbol of rebuilding after the conflict unleashed by the very dictator. And rolled, rolled, rolled ... Until the definitive suspension of production in 2003 (!), More than 21 million units left the assembly mats of several factories from Germany and Mexico.A reliable and indestructible vehicle, however, he nearly bankrupted the state-owned company (also a Hitler legacy): by 1970 fewer and fewer customers were willing to buy the machine more than technically outdated, with its rear-wheel drive and engine boxer.
Volks overcame the crisis by stealing modern automobile designs from the Audi and NSU brands "conquered" a few years earlier. Only then was it possible to put on the market in record time the Golf, Passat and Polo models, whose success lasts until today. Thanks to them, the company has established itself as the largest assembler in the world. No, Hitler is not really responsible for this - although it is a temptation to apply to this history the allegory of "ultimate victory."German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen recently proposed a new "decree on tradition" for the Bundeswehr. It has two central principles: that which comes from Hitler's time is not in line with national values, and therefore can not promote tradition. And the story after World War II is already long enough to found its own traditions.What does this mean for Volkswagen? There have long been associated with the brand products and ideas developed after 1945. Above all, Golf, which has already exceeded 16 years the Beetle in terms of units produced - perfect! But three years ago came the emissions scandal - not good.
Volks announced for 2019 a redesign of its logo, to be presented along with a new series of electric vehicles, "less conservative" and "more colorful". Will Wolfsburg even renounce the angular lines of the V and W, from the times of the cult of the Führer in the 1930s? Difficultly.
Even the Bundeswehr, despite the new decree of the tradition, still presents itself with the same Iron Cross that adorned each tank of the Wehrmacht. But perhaps the slogan "Das Auto" ("The automobile") will turn into "The automobile clean" in the future. This would, in fact, be an exemplary way of dealing at least with the more recent past.

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