The Volkswagen Beetle got a padded dashboard in 1968.
The change arrived during a broader round of safety and comfort updates to the Type 1. The padded covering softened the dashboard surface and gave the cabin a more contemporary appearance, while the underlying dashboard still retained the Beetle’s familiar layout of a central speedometer, glovebox and simple controls.
The timing is easy to confuse with later Super Beetle changes. The 1302 Super Beetle appeared for 1971 and initially used a different front structure, while the larger, deeper dashboard associated with later curved-windscreen Super Beetles arrived with the 1303-era design. The standard Beetle’s earlier padded-dash format began in 1968 and continued through later model years.
Market and body-style details can produce small variations in trim, vents and fittings, but 1968 is the standard answer for the introduction of the padded Beetle dashboard. It also sits alongside other late-1960s revisions, including 12-volt electrics on several models and additional braking and equipment changes.