Volkswagen

In the 1960s, NATO collaborated on the development of a European equivalent to the American Jeep. Volkswagen had already been approached for this in the 1950s but declined the offer at the time. However, by the late 1960s, Volkswagen saw potential in a civilian version of such a vehicle, particularly for markets like Mexico, where the Beetle was extremely popular but often struggled with poor road conditions. The actual opportunity to begin production came when the German army commissioned a light utility vehicle. This allowed Volkswagen to get the project off the ground. The resulting Volkswagen 181 debuted in 1968 and echoed the design of the WWII-era Typ 82 Kübelwagen, originally developed by Ferdinand Porsche for the German military. While the 181 was initially produced for the German army, Volkswagen soon followed through on its earlier civilian ambitions: from 1971 onward, the model was also offered to the general public. In the United States, it became known under the nickname The Thing.

1969