The automotive industry is one of the areas where competition is most intense. No matter how big they are, automotive companies face very serious problems if they cannot produce or sell, even for a short time. Despite the billions of dollars in money, even today, many companies can only turn the wheels by working together for many models.
Many large companies were unable to turn the wheels at some point in the past and were preparing to raise the flag of bankruptcy. However, they did not give up the struggle and dreaming of a final model that would save themselves by using the last resources they had. As a result, some models emerged that saved their companies and are largely iconic today. Let’s take a look at those models together.
Here are those hero models
- BMW 700
- Volkswagen Beetle
- Mercedes 300SL
- 1949 Ford
- Fiat 500
- Porsche Boxster
- Audi Quattro
Shaking the market that BMW never visited again, the BMW 700
Although people think of fast and prestigious cars when it comes to BMW, the model that saved the company from extinction, the BMW 700, was actually an economy class car. With its rather small engine behind it, this model was BMW’s last hope in 1959, which was on the verge of financial exhaustion. Until the end of production in 1965, 188,000 BMW 700s were sold, while the company managed to survive the collapse.
Volkswagen Beetle, which is loved even today
II. The Volkswagen Beetle, which was founded by the Nazi administration during World War II, was actually a model that reflected the fate of the country. In 1938, a cheap model was produced for the German people, but mostly for the Nazi army.
During the war, the factory was bombed, and when Germany lost the war, it was all mixed up. When the British manufacturers did not want the factory, the commander in charge of the factory said, “Then let the British army build the necessary cars,” and made such an attempt to keep the German workers in the country just to prevent the refugee crisis. Beetle models also began to go on sale for civilians before VW moved back to Germany. Thus, he prevented VW from disappearing.
Mercedes 300SL winged to the future with its gull wing doors
Again a German company, again II. World War. Almost all of Mercedes’ factories were bombed, and bankruptcy was not far off. Mercedes, who wants to try his luck in a last model before going bankrupt, said, “If we fail, let’s go down gloriously.” He will have said that Mercedes had produced the 300SL. Thanks to this series, including the gull-winged model, the company managed to survive.
1949 Ford that brought Ford from great to giant
II. Things were not all rosy for automakers on the other front of World War II, either. Ford, which had been producing for the military for years, did not have a modern design in hand when he returned to making automobiles. Also, Henry Ford was no longer alive.
Moreover, Chevrolet and Pointiac were also renewing their pre-war series. Ford had to do something before it disappeared from the passenger car market. They did too: 1949 Ford. The vehicle, which received 100 thousand orders at the launch, also saved Ford.
The Fiat 500, which continues to exist even today
Fiat’s situation is a little more complicated because they put themselves in trouble for this model. The first Fiat 500 “Topolino” was popular within Italy. After the war, the market for small-town cars with rear engines was growing.
The Italians, on the other hand, had a shortage of cars, often using Vespas to get their day-to-day work done. In these years when Fiat was already losing blood, it mobilized all the means at its disposal and offered the Fiat 500 Nuova model for sale.
With this cheap and practical car, Italians could easily go to the seaside. And of course the French. And of course people in other countries. More than 188,000 Nuovas were sold in three years.
The Porsche Boxster that puts the “poor 911” to shame
In the mid-1990s, its sales had dropped by 70%, and bells began to ring for Porsche, which had only one model in hand, and which no company wanted to buy.
The 911 series was starting to age, and the company’s other model trials were not very successful. Before locking the factory door, Porsche decided to give the Boxster one last try.
The production of the vehicle took nearly three years. Boxster paid off for this effort by increasing its total annual sales figures to over 50 thousand.
“If you had these things, why didn’t you do it sooner?” Audi Quattro
In the 1980s, Audi was behind its competitors both in terms of popularity of models and brand image. This was also reflected in sales. The company, which lagged behind the market, produced the Audi Quattro with all-wheel drive system to close this gap.
The Quattro wasn’t just a modern and stylish car, it was an almost flawless car that could win races, as it proved in rallies. It enabled the brand to improve both its image and financial situation.
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