A Short History Of The VW Beetle (cont.)

In 1962 VW introduced heat exchangers for the first time, this allowed passengers and drivers to make use of fresh heated air, directed around the cabin, as opposed to the previous system of warmed air which had been flowed over the cylinder heads.

Hydraulic brakes replaced the cable operated system of previous models, and a new cleanable vinyl headliner had been installed, replacing the previous woollen version. The Wolfsburg logo that had appeared on previous models was dropped and replaced with the now familiar VW logo.

The vinyl “rag-top” sunroof was now dropped on 1963 export models, and replaced with a steel sliding roof, however the rag-top was still available on standard models. A new number plate light was added, the front indicators were also increased in size. Inside, VW dropped the horn-ring from the steering wheel, and thumb buttons were now employed for the task. By this time VW had becomes Germany’s biggest company, taking 42.4% of domestic market car sales, and producing over a million cars in 1963, with daily production off the now automated production line reaching 5,229. A total of 685,769 cars had been exported making VW the worlds largest vehicle exporter.