RIP old bus...

[Gob]

Volkswagen Kombi fans raise a glass. It's time to bid farewell to a legend.



Volkswagen has announced it will end production of the Kombi van in 2013 – 63 years after it was introduced to the world market back in 1950.

The only existing VW Kombi production line in the world is in Sao Bernardo del Campo, Brazil, where the vans, which haven't been significantly updated since the late '70s, are still built by company subsidiary Volkswagen do Brasil. Company head Thomas Schmall told UK magazine Car and Driver that by the end of next year, Kombi production would finish up after 56 years of continuous manufacturing.

The demise of the Kombi T2 (as it is known in Brazil) comes courtesy of stricter safety rules being brought into place, which require all new cars to be fitted with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and dual front airbags, come into force on January 1, 2014.

But as one senior source told Car and Driver, the move was also part of a cultural shift for the brand: “At some point, you are the brand with the old cars.”

UK magazine Autocar quotes VW Brazil's product development boss, Egon Feichter, saying that the Kombi would need to become “a new car” if it were to meet the new criteria. According to Feichter, that's something the brand apparently isn't willing to invest in, because to replace the Kombi with an all-new version wouldn't make financial sense as “you can get two Kombis for the price of one normal car”.

In recent years Volkswagen has confirmed it is working on a modern day interpretation of the Kombi. The Bulli concept van was said to be a precursor to that car, but VW says it has put the project on the back-burner due to tough times in the European economy.

The Kombi was not the only "old" Volkswagen still being built and sold as a new car long after Germany discontinued the original model.

Volkswagen plants in Mexico and South Africa used to build original versions of the Beetle and Golf, but production of those models has stopped in recent years. The company still builds an older version of the Passat for the Chinese market, although that will be replaced by a more modern version soon.

The Sao Bernardo del Campo plant still rolls out 251 examples of the Kombi every day

[MajGenl.Meade]

I drove one of these in February to take the family down to the Cape; a very good vehicle. In SA any similar vehicle is called a "kombi" as a generic term. Toyota (naturally) has control of this market.

Meade

[oldr_n_wsr]

Way back in 1977 I had a 1968 American camper version. (sliding door on the other side, luvre windows) A buddy and I were going to drive cross country in it. But both of us met our future wives and that trip got cancelled. He's and alcoholic also. Six years sober.
He's my "remote" sponsor as he lives in Fla.

[kristina]

My parents bought a lime green bus in the late '60s, when they could no longer find an American-made 6-cylinder standard transmission station wagon (at least that's the story my dad told). It was kinda cool to be the sorta hippee wannabe girl with the VW bus when I was in high school...

Of course it had a maximum speed of about 60 MPH downhill with a tailwind, and you had to lean forward and say "I think I can, I think I can" going uphill..

[dales]

I would bet that almost anyone here has a "VW Bus" story.

Mine was red, a 1970 Westy................those were the daze.

[Sean]

Back in the mid '80s I had my first proper job playing with a band (I would've been 12 or 13). The old yellow VW bus (with most of the seats torn out) carried the five of us and our gear all around Ireland and the UK.

[alice]

My family had a VW van when I was 8 or 9. I loved it.
And we also had a Thames van.
We travelled with both - between them they were set up with all the bedding, cooking gear, storgae and whatever else so that the family could travel and camp out anywhere.
We eventually - whent he travel stopped - sold the VW, but had the Thames van as our family vehicle for many more years.
I have many, many stories, many fond memories for both these vehicles.

[oldr_n_wsr]

when they could no longer find an American-made 6-cylinder standard transmission station wagon (at least that's the story my dad told).

Dad bought a 6cyl (225 lant 6, couldn't get the 170 slant he wanted) 1967 Plymouth Belevedre wagon brand new. Had to special order it but he got what he wanted. Don't know if one could get a stick, but I think so.

[Jarlaxle]

3-speed on the column would have been standard into the mid-70's on the Belvedere/Satellite. My friend has a 1972 Satellite wagon with a factory 4-speed (and a factory big-block engine).

[oldr_n_wsr]

Time was, you paid extra for an auto-tranny (or at least they listed it that way), now you pay extra for a standard tranny.