Image via CrunchBase

The success – and subsequent bursting – of the dotcom bubble is well-documented. A business bubble such as that is created when speculative investors believe in an over-hyped product that simply cannot deliver what its proponents say it will. Rather than steady, sustainable commercial growth which supports the long term, it can lead to business failure and bankruptcy. That is then followed by a market shake-down in which only the strongest survive: hence the domination of the big dotcom players post-bubble, such as Google and Amazon.

Image via Wikipedia

The Volkswagen Beetle has been through several major changes throughout its long life. It started out as the Volkswagen Type 1, an economy car that was produced from 1938 to 2003. Over 21 million cars of this type were manufactured during this time period. Although the exterior appearance of the Type 1 Beetle didn’t change that much over the decades, there were thousands of smaller changes undetectable to the average consumer.

The timeless Type 1 Beetle came to an end however in 1998, when the Volkswagen New Beetle was introduced. The exterior of the car is heavily inspired by the original Beetle, but the engine and internal workings are different, with major changes like having the engine in the front and having luggage storage in the back of the car. But the newest Beetle didn’t last long – Volkswagen announced in 2010 that they were ceasing production of the New Beetle in 2011 and introducing a brand new version of the Volkswagen.