Designing the third car

A customized Suzuki Motor Corp. Alto ultra-compact kei car stands on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Chiba, Japan, on Friday Jan. 11, 2019. The annual event at Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex runs through Jan. 14. Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg

BACK in the 1930s, a famous leader in Germany engaged Ferdinand Porsche to design a “people’s car” (which translates to Volkswagen in German). In 1938, the first Volkswagen Type 1 (which subsequently became the iconic Beetle) rolled out. The company went on to produce a mind-blowing 21 million units up until 2003.

The British had their Mini as their people’s car, and it sold in staggering numbers too.