The car was based on the predecessor of the Volkswagen Beetle and was built at the Volkswagen factory in KdF-Stadt, now Wolfsburg. Approximately 55, 000 units were built. This Kübelwagen had the same task as the jeep with the Allies. However, because the Volkswagen Kübelwagen only had rear-wheel drive, its performance in rough terrain was worse than that of the four-wheel drive Jeep.
Production started in February 1940 at the Volkswagen factory in KdF-Stadt. The steel bodies were built at Ambi-Budd in Berlin and transported by train to KdF-Stadt. On December 20, 1940, the thousandth copy rolled off the assembly line. A total of approximately 55, 000 units were built. (By comparison, the Americans built more than 600, 000 jeeps during the war.) The Kübelwagens served throughout Europe and in the desert of North Africa.

This Kubelwagen presented here has the original engine, the 25 KDF. It is an original body from 1944. It also has a hydraulic braking system.