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I read the Transformer posts and I now remember them somewhat. I didn't realize they had story lines, etc. attached to them. It was a very interesting read. I guess I was/am too old to gather the full appreciation of them.
I understand the "they're just toys" sentiments. I understand the protectionism of copyright as well. I guess the only middle ground is for Bumblebee to be Mini Cooper.
I was amused by the (paraphrasing) "cars only get you from Point A to Point B, after all" position. Of course, that's true -- it's so obvious. So, then, what separates Car A from Car B? (i.e. Why should someone buy Car A instead of Car B?) Well, image plays a very important role. It may be a well-deserved image. It may be pure poppy****. The Ferrari owner is linked to an exclusive club with a glorious race history. The Saturn owner used the money difference to buy a house. Who's right? It's a personal choice, so there is no right or wrong -- except for that individual.
For the companies involved, they have to make their choice. People howled at VW to give the Karmann Ghia more spunk to go with its styling. Never happened. Yet, Karmann Ghia had a 20-year shelf life. It looks like VW didn't miss the boat on that one. On the other hand, VW looks like they missed the boat in not making the Super Beetle more super to distinguish it from the standard. Hindsight is wonderful that way.
As for Hitler, I won't even give him that much credit. No civilian kDf-wagens were ever produced even though many bought into a savings plan which turned out to be nothing more than extra financing for the war machine. While Hitler's involvement is undeniable, I prefer to think of Volkswagen's existence as being more a thanks to Ivan Hirst who got a half-bombed factory up and running, and a near-destitute populace something to help rebuild their lives and their economy.
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