The Volkswagen Beetle surpassed the Ford Model T as the most produced car in 1972.
On 17 February 1972, the Beetle reached a worldwide production total of 15,007,034 vehicles. That figure exceeded the Ford Model T’s previous record, which had stood for nearly half a century. Volkswagen marked the milestone with a Super Beetle that was later donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
The achievement was especially notable because the Beetle and Model T represented different eras of mass motoring. Ford’s Model T helped make automobile ownership broadly accessible in the early twentieth century, while the Beetle became a global postwar success through its durability, economy, and simple mechanical layout.
The 1972 record did not mean the Beetle was the best-selling nameplate by every modern measure. It referred to cumulative production of a single automobile design. The Beetle ultimately reached 21,529,464 units before production ended in 2003.