Year after year, we make a good thing even better.
    In 1949, two unheralded little cars bearing the curious name "Volkswagen" made their way to America. People responded immediately and unanimously: They laughed.
 In a world of sleek Packards, racy Studebakers and streamlined Hudsons, the Beetle was an oddity. It had an engine in back, a trunk in front, a steel plate underneath. And no radiator, anywhere.
  Fortunately, a few curious souls stopped laughing long enough to drive one.
  To their surprise, the bug averaged 35 miles to the gallon. (And in 1949, gas was up to 22¢.) The rear engine made for superb traction, so the car buzzed through mud, snow and ice. Its parkable size made it easy to maneuver in tight spots. The Beetle was reliable, economical and required little in the way of maintenance.
  Before long, it was the Volkswagen owners who were laughing. All the way to the bank.
  You'd think we'd have had the good sense to leave well enough alone. Instead, we had the good sense to make well enough even better.
  Since 1949, we've made some 30,000 changes in the Beetle making gradual improvements here and there, then improving the improvements.
  While other car makers have been toying with tail fins and opera windows, we've been concentrating on economy, performance and safety.
  Over the years, we've increased the size and horsepower, the Beetle's engine, for better acceleration.
  The braking system has been improved for surer stops.
  The window areas have been enlarged for better visibility.
  The front seats have come to be comfortable, contoured buckets.
  For safety's sake, the Beetle's tail lights became almost as big as headlights.
  In 1972, we unveiled VW Computer Analysis, which enables the Beetle to tell of any little problem before it has a chance to become a big problem.
  And last year, we introduced a fuel injection system that raised Beetle's already impressive gas mileage figures.
  In short, the Beetle has been getting better all the time. And this year is no exception.
  There's one improvement that affects the way the Beetle looks, rather than the way it works. There are three new colors - metallic silver, metallic green and metallic blue. But they're still applied the old Volkswagen way, with each car receiving a total of 4 meticulously applied coats of paint.
  Other changes for 1976 inciude wall-to-wall carpeting, sport wheel rims and an electric rear window defogger. The comfortable flowthrough ventilation system is now assisted by a two-speed fresh air blower, for even more comfort. Bumpers, door handles, headlight rims and turn-signal housings are all chromeplated.
  After 27 years and almost 19 million cars, we're happy to report that this year, we've come up with the almost-perfect Beetle. Take one for a test drive today. It'll be another whole year before you find a better one.