The Beetle in developing countries

The Beetle in developing countriesOther countries produced Beetles from CKD (complete knockdown kits): Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, and Nigeria have assembled Beetles under license from VW .

Beetles produced in Mexico and Brazil had several differences:

The Brazilian version retained the 1958-1964 body style (Europe and U.S. version) with the thick door pillars and small quarter glass; this body style was also produced in Mexico until 1970. Brazilian CKD kits (complete knockdown) were shipped to Nigeria between 1975-1987 where Beetles were locally produced. The Brazilian-produced version have been sold in neighboring South American nations bordering Brazil, including Argentina and Peru. The Brazilian VW Bug have four different sized engines: 1200cc, 1300cc, 1500cc and, finally, 1600cc. In the 70's Volkswagen made the SP-2 (derived from the VW Bug chassis and powertrain) that used an air-cooled VW engine with 1700cc. In Brazil the VW Bug never received electronic fuel injection, but retained single or double carburetion throughout its life.

The production of the air-cooled engine finally ended in 2006, after more than 60 years. It was last used in the Brazilian version of the VW Bus, called the "Kombi", and was replaced by a 1.4-litre water-cooled engine with a front-mounted cooling system. Beetles produced in Mexico (since 1964) have the larger door and quarter glass between 1971 — 2003 with the 1958 vintage back glass until the mid-1970s. This version, after the mid-1970s, saw little change with the incorporation of electronic ignition in 1988, an anti-theft alarm system in 1990, and electronic fuel injection, hydraulic valve lifters and a spin-on oil filter in 1993.