VW Transporter's 70th Birthday | Car Talk - Car News Apr 2020

20:19 Monday 06 Apr 2020

The Volkswagen Transporter celebrates its 70th birthday this month.

Six generations of the van have been produced in Transporter, Bulli, Kombi, bus, and microbus guises, selling more than 13 million examples along the way.

The first generation entered production in March 1950, selling close to two million units before giving way to the second generation in 1967. The second generation model enjoyed a twelve year production run in its native Germany, with over two million made, but amazingly it lived on in production in Sao Paulo, Brazil, until 2013. The third generation Volkswagen Transporter boasted more room for both passengers and cargo, but gained car-like, cutting-edge features such as catalytic converters, turbochargers, and all-wheel drive. The nineties saw the fourth generation emerge, the first to feature a front engine and front-wheel drive, being replaced by the fifth generation in 2003.

The current Volkswagen Transporter was introduced in 2015, with new more efficient engines and up-to-date driver assistance systems. Last year saw Volkswagen treat the model to a refresh, adding a new digital dashboard design, updated technology and connectivity, new power steering, and cleaner turbodiesel engines, completing the seven decade evolution of the Transporter from a utilitarian load-lugger to a thoroughly modern, class-leading commercial vehicle.