How Many Beetles Were First Sold in Australia?

Does anyone know how many VWs there were on the road in Australia 6 months after the beetle was first released in Australia?

Is there anywhere that holds this record?

Don't know about sales figures but here are some import & production numbers.

Regent Motors Melbourne imported their first Beetle 11/10/1953, by years end they had imported 31 vehicles.

In June 1954 CKD packs arrived & were assembled at Martin & King under contract to Regent Motors. In the first year 1385 vehicles were produced with a further 360 sedans & 300 type 2's were imported giving VW 1.2% of the sedan market & 0.5% of the commercial market in Australia.


Regards,

Matt.

as you can see, not many beetles were on the road in the first 6 months..
it was similar in the US
they were not sold in large numbers at that time...

it took many years to get established...

Lee

I think I read somewhere that in about 1967, more Beetles were sold in the US in that one year than were ever sold in Australia - the figure was around 250,000 or something. I could be wrong on this.

An 'interesting' fact - around 22 million Beetles were made, right? So that's more than one per man woman and child in Australia. Imagine that - every one driving Beetles, always confusing theirs for someone elses.

🙂

Yes, 1967 was a big year for beetles in the USA

they had the large glass, flat hubcaps, vertical headlamps, 12 volts, two speed wipers , dual brake system, thin bonnet & side trim and the one year only

Outside door handles with round push buttons...

Front guards had vertical headlamps with the oval horn grills and had towel rail bumpers..

Lee

PS: many racing and drag beetles in the USA are 1967 models.. Maybe because so many were sold..