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Why did the Nazis promote the Volkswagen as a car for German workers?

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Nazi SS troops march in formation carrying banners with swastikas and eagles at the 1933 Party Day rally in Nuremberg, Germany, with trees in the background. — Third Reich A Nazi Party rally at Nürnberg, Germany, in 1933.

The Nazi regime promoted the Volkswagen as a "people's car" primarily to integrate the German working class into the Volksgemeinschaft, or racially based national community.12

By the 1930s, the Nazis sought to overcome the long-standing alienation of socialist-minded workers from the nationalist consensus. To achieve this, they implemented various social programs, such as "Strength through Joy," which provided leisure activities previously reserved for the upper classes. Because owning a car had historically been a symbol of wealth and status in Germany, the development of an inexpensive automobile was intended to provide workers with a tangible benefit that helped dissolve traditional class distinctions.12

Adolf Hitler explicitly drew inspiration from Henry Ford, suggesting that Ford’s approach in America had successfully diminished class barriers. By making vehicle ownership accessible, the regime aimed to foster a sense of belonging and shared identity among the German populace within their totalitarian state.12