(January 30, 2014) HERNDON, Va. — This month, the Volkswagen Beetle celebrates 65 years since it first arrived in the United States. In January of 1949, a Volkswagen “Type 1,” or Beetle, was shipped to New York City by Ben Pon, Sr., a Dutch businessman and the world’s first official Volkswagen importer.
That car — and another, subsequent Beetle — found buyers the same year, marking the first time that Volkswagen vehicles were sold in the United States.