Kübelwagen is an abbreviation from Kübelsitzwagen which literally means "bucket seat car". It was a generic name for open-topped military utility cars fitted with bucket seats.
The word Kübelwagen is widely used in reference to the Volkswagen 82, a military version of the VW Beetle.
In its first incarnation about 52,000 were made before and during WW2 for the German military in the same factory as the Beetle at KdF-Stadt (Wolfsburg). It performed roughly the role of the jeep for the Germans, but since it was only rear-wheel-drive it was not as versatile.
Erwin Komenda (who worked with Ferdinand Porsche from 1931 and with his son Ferry Porsche until 1966) designed the Kübelwagen and its amphibious sibling, the Schwimmwagen.
In the 1970s a second version the VW 181 was made, based on the contemporary Beetle. The vehicle is sometimes called the "Thing" by Americans.
