59 upvotes, 5 direct replies (showing 5)
View submission: the German fascist regime promoting the "people's car" 80 years ago
I mean, not the ones in the picture. Those were sold and undelivered and funded the regime, yeah?
Comment by microtherion at 12/03/2025 at 13:30 UTC
76 upvotes, 10 direct replies
Yes, the Kdf-Wagen[1] was sold on a layaway plan, and (ostensibly?) due to WWII never delivered to customers, nor did they get refunds. It makes Elon Musk look like a model of business probity in comparison.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle?wprov=sfti1#KdF-Wagen
Comment by Isares at 12/03/2025 at 13:41 UTC
28 upvotes, 1 direct replies
There was an old joke from the time that I learnt about in History class. A man wanted a Volkswagen so bad, that he broke into the factory, stole the parts, assembled it himself, and drove a tank to work the next day.
Comment by miba at 12/03/2025 at 13:40 UTC
7 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Yeah, only a few party members got some.
The other people trying to buy one were used to finance the war
Comment by Dyolf_Knip at 12/03/2025 at 14:54 UTC
4 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Yup. Was the OG crowdfunding scam. IIRC, not a single person who prepaid for one ever got a car.
Comment by HarveysBackupAccount at 12/03/2025 at 13:51 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
True, but at least it wasn't an infomercial for a billionaire oligarch, I guess?