含苞待放：1953—1957年

    美国于1949年进口了第一台甲壳虫，一开始销售缓慢，到1951年也只售出390台。当时美国汽车厂商正在搞大干快上的战术，车型几乎一年一换代，反观甲壳虫的更新换代却相当缓慢。

    在量产六年后，甲壳虫的两片式小车窗被一片稍大一些的椭圆型车窗所取代，后来又在1957年换成了一片更大的全幅车窗。在1958款甲壳虫上，仪表盘经过了重新设计，转向灯也移到了挡泥板顶端。它没有美国车当时最流行的尾鳍，车身刷的是同一个颜色，也没有备胎。

Early Beetles: 1953-1957

    The first Beetle was exported to the U.S. in 1949, and sales started slowly, reaching only 390 by 1951. While Detroit was still caught up in annual model changes, alterations to the Beetle came only slowly.

    After six years of production, the small two-piece window was replaced by a slightly larger single oval window. In 1957, an even larger full-width window was installed. For the 1958 model, the dashboard was redesigned, and the turn signals moved to the tops of the fenders. No tailfins, two-tone colors, or Continental spare tire kits.