Volkswagen Kombi News

After teasing the world in March with a concept van called the Bulli at the Geneva Motor Show, a Volkswagen insider has revealed to Carsguide that there is a definite production plan for a 21st century Kombi. The born-again Kombi is coming as Volkswagen makes big changes to its small-car lineup, starting with a new-new Beetle and confirmed production plans for the city-sized Up. The Kombi van - a nickname that came from Germany and stuck around the world - hauled a generation from just after World War II through the hippie era and surfside lifestyle in Australia. It still stars Down Under in a Bigpond television commercial. But safety problems with the rear-engined van, and a change of focus for the VW workhorses that provided the basic package, led to its death and the next Kombi will be comparatively smaller, substantially safer and even more versatile. Based heavily on the Bulli, the six-seater hybrid or petrol-diesel van is expected to go on sale in Europe by late 2012 and possibly in Australia the following year. Carsguide can confirm that Volkswagen is so serious about the Kombi that it recently organised a photography session in the USA with the Bulli alongside a 1950 Kombi van. The new Kombi move comes after an earlier proposal was ruled out because it was too big and costly. Now Volkswagen communications director Christian Buhlmann says the economic key is to fit the Bulli concept onto the same modular mechanical platform to be used by the new Up range of city cars. The platform - known by its German initials as MQB called MTM in English for Modular Transverse Matrix - is intended to be the base for up to 60 Volkswagen Group models in petrol, diesel and electric-hybrid versions. Its use in so many models - including those from Skoda, Seat and Audi - will slash design and production costs. Most importantly, MTM will be the basis for the Up range of small cars that will be first shown in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September before going on sale later this year in Europe. MTM will go into action for the first time as the platform for the new Audi A3, but the VW Up will come as three-door and five-door hatchbacks sized smaller than Polo. The Bulli will become Up's third derivative as the MPV version. "Up is designed to be a range of efficient vehicles for the city,'' says Volkswagen's Buhlmann. "It will have small engines or electric motors but also will be offered with CNG (compressed natural gas) which we see as an excellent alternative fuel.'' Volkswagen has recently taken to the track with CNG-fuelled production cars, as well as competition models running on ethanol. The Up hatchbacks and Bulli are expected to be available with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder diesel or 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine made to the high-efficiency, low emission BlueMotion specifications. It also has been confirmed that an option will be a plug-in hybrid using a small diesel or petrol engine and an electric motor with lithium-ion batteries. MTM can reduce the number of front-wheel drive platforms from 18 today to just two. It allows for large variations in track width, wheelbase length and vehicle length and can support all-wheel drive systems and - specifically for electric and/or hybrid vehicles such as the Up models - a channel in the spine to carry batteries or fuel tanks.

Make fellow campers do a double-take in this full-sized replica of the cult classic 1960’s Volkswagen camper van. Just like the original VW Kombi, an average person can stand up inside it. It’s also generous in size – sleeping up to four adults. All that's left to do is bust out the incense and dream of paisley. Visit Firebox.com for more information.  

WHERE Are They Now shows generally wheel out faded actors who few viewers remember. Not this time. Arguably the star of the 2009 Western Australian-based movie - and based on a succesful stage play - Bran Nue Dae, a 1963 Volkswagen Kombi is still a happy and colourful member of the Perth southern coastal city of Rockingham. "It's a car that makes people smile," says owner Amanda Williams, 22, an estimator with builder Shelford Homes.  The Kombi has been hers for four years and was planned for restoration. "It was one colour - green - before I heard a company wanted a Kombi for a movie," she says.  "I put my Kombi up and the company agreed to rent it. My Dad, who has a panel shop, did a base red and white coat before it went up to Broome." It was there that local artists set to work with hippie-inspired murals on the flat panels.  The Kombi was then the central point to a road trip by characters played by Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins and Tom Budge. "When it came back with the artwork on it, I thought 'wow' - I was so happy with it I wasn't going to change it," Amanda says.  The 1963 splitscreen Kombi is the second in the Williams family.  "We had one in New Zealand but we sold it before we came here," she says. "My Dad bought a splitscreen when we came to Rockingham and because I love Kombis, I wanted one. I found this in the country. It had no rust and a 1.5-litre engine - it runs really well and I've had no problems with it." The Kombi came with standard-issue WA number plates but these were changed for the movie.  As a present for her 21st birthday, Amanda's father gave her personalised plates with the same registration as the hand-made plates used inthe movie. The Kombi is used for camping and "cruising", says Amanda, with her Suzuki GSX-R 750 used for day-to-day travel.  "Yes, it has more power than the Kombi." KOMBI FACTS The Kombi, officially known as the Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter, was introduced in 1950 and picked up numerous nicknames including "microbus", "minibus", "kombi" and because of its popularity during the 1960s, "hippie van". The first model was the Commercial (a van) and the Kombi (with side windows and seats) but variants such as the Microbus, Deluxe Microbus and ambulance were soon added. A single-cab ute was available from 1952. From 1955 it received a tailgate. Engines started with the Beetle's 18kW 1.1-litre air-cooled flat-four. In 1953 this was upgraded to a 22kW 1.2-litre version and to 30kW in 1959. The 1963 model introduced a 38kW 1.5-litre engine, upped to 40kW from 1967. The 1964 model had a wider rear door and optional sliding - rather than hinged barn-door - side door. The Type 2, along with the 1947 Citroen H Van, are among the first forward-control vans in which the driver was placed above the front wheels and soon started a trend in Europe. The "split screen" ended production in 1967, superceded by the "bay window" range.

Now it's back. Volkswagen's newer take on the, er, new Kombi, was shown at Geneva motor show - but though the shape is familiar, it's not what you'd expect.  For one the Bulli - the German nickname for the original 1950 concept - is smaller. Second, it's powered by batteries.Yes, it's just a concept but whispers on the Geneva show floor say it's very possibly in showroom contention.  Volkswagen product director Ulrich Hackenberg says there's a "big chance" it will be built.The concept Bulli gets seating for six - three in the front, three in the back - and runs on lithium-ion batteries stored under the floor.  The concept has a single, 85kW/270Nm electric motor under the blunt nose and drives the front wheels.Volkswagen claims a 0-100km/h time of 11.5 seconds (compared to an hour and a half in the 1960s Kombi) and a 300km range.  But for production, Volkswagen is looking at a petrol or diesel engine.Given the space under that short nose, this is likely to be the 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol or diesel engines.  All the cues of the past - except the gaping accommodation in the rear - are there including the bold VW emblem on the nose.As for size, it's small. The Bulli is 3900mm long (the 1969 bay-window Kombi is 4350mm); with a 2550mm wheelbase (2400mm in 1969), and is 1650mm tall (1918mm).

... pulling on our heart strings.  It's not the first time the German carmaker has toyed with our feelings like this. Back in 2001 VW rolled out a Kombi concept at the Detroit Motor Show but changed its mind about building it for real. It's an emotional thing the Kombi van, and that's been the key to its success in the past and, if it ever gets built, to its future. You see it'd be hard to find somebody who doesn't have a soft spot for the Kombi. Our love affair with the Kombi has lasted 60 years now. It's difficult to explain why when they ain't exactly pretty and they don't go all that well. Yes, not only is love blind, it knows nothing about cars. Any Kombi owner will be able to tell you all about the public affection their transportation gets. "I'd walk out of the house and find people in my driveway taking photos of it," Sharon Burton, 38, of Sydney says. Admittedly, it is a brilliant example of a Kombi; so good in fact that it's on the market for $89,995. It's a 21 Window 1964 split screen model and rare. Burton bought it and shipped it over from the UK last year after seeing it for sale online. When the van arrived in Australia Burton took it on a road trip to the Old Bar Kombi festival in Taree and won the show `n' shine. "When we were driving back from Taree people were hanging out of their cars taking photos on their phones as they drove past. There's something very unique about them. It doesn't matter what you go out and buy, you just can't replicate that look." Burton had her first Kombi when she was at uni. "I had 1968 bay window that had all the internals, the cooker, the bunk beds But I'd always wanted to have either a 21 or a 23 window." A baby is now on the way for Burton and though her husband and stepson love jumping in the Kombi and driving to get fish and chips the change in circumstances has led them hand it over to the folks at the Classic Throttle Shop to sell. "There has always been a market for these wonderful machines," the Classic Throttle Shop's Nicholas Ramunni says. "A generation of buyers now have the means to invest in high quality examples, like the one Classic Throttle Shop has on offer, to re-live the good times and to pass on this experience to a new generation of admirers. "But high quality cars are hard to come by, in particular the variants like this the 21 Window." Dean Coutts from Volkswagen specialists Volkspower in Melbourne agrees. "I'm afraid that it's becoming very difficult to find good cars," he says. Coutts's father started Volkspower in 1957 and Dean's been working there for 30 years. You're not going to find many people who know more about the emotional and mechanical sides of the Kombi and if anybody can explain our love affair with the van it's this man. "Pretty much everybody on the planet has a Kombi memory and they seem to be family memories that people develop, which I think makes people passionate about them for long periods of time." "We've all been in a Commodore but people remember being in Kombis. It seems like a fantasy-type connection people have with these cars. When they go in an old Kombi it fulfils that dream." Somebody who's keeping that dream alive, well, on the weekends at least, is Matt Brinsden, 38, from Melbourne. His current Kombi in an Australian-built 1964 split screen. "I got it in 2001 and spent four years getting it right as money permitted," Brinsden says. "I paid 1200 bucks and I've probably spent 30K on it." Brinsden reckons this is his favourite Kombi, it's been to shows and won trophies, but these days, what with work and family, it only comes out when necessary. "If I get home from work and I've had a bad day I go for a drive in the Kombi and it cheers me up pretty quickly." Brinsden's love for the Kombi started at the age of 19 when he saw one on the side of the road and bought it for $250. "I got this thing home and put it back on the road and loved it - went everywhere in it. That was a 1964 as well. That's where it all began." Five Kombis, marriage, children and 20 years later Brinsden still feels the same way about the bus. But for a little while he dabbled with non-Volkswagens, but it only reinforced what he already knew - that Kombis were the way for him. "For a few years I started chasing 1950s Holdens but they never gave me the same feeling as Kombis." And the answer to why we all love the Kombi so much is clear to Brinsden. "It's almost that they're so ugly they're beautiful. I think the look of them, especially the front of that car, makes people smile," he says "There's this feeling that you get when you're driving, too, and I reckon all my mates would say the same thing - it is a feeling. I go for a drive on the weekend and you can't get the grin off your face."

The first major European motor show of 2011, at Geneva in Switzerland, is packed with mouth watering newcomers in every size and price class. The top ended action is dominated by a supercar stoush between Ferrari and Lamborghini, but there is also everything from a new $15,500 Kia Rio - and a baby Picanto from the same company - to a second take on Toyota's make-or-break FT86 sports coupe and the Subaru version of the same machine. Geneva is only a small show - at least compared to the giants at Frankfurt and Tokyo - but the 2011 even has a huge impact and reflects the renewed confidence among the world's carmakers. They are spending big, on everything from dream machines through to new technology, as they gear up again for a showroom splurge after the doom and gloom of the Global Financial Crisis. There are close to 20 global firsts at Geneva, from the Audi A3 sedan to the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet, all jostling for attention and mostly expected in Australia inside the next year. The Chevrolet Cruze hatchback becomes a Holden later this year, Saab has just confirmed its plans for the 9-5 Estate, Mercedes-Benz will push hard with the droptop SLK and new C-Class coupe, and Citroen will push more style with the DS4 hatchback as the next of its DS design- driven family. But Geneva has always been a future show and this year's event is no different. There are more than a dozen concept cars, from the minimalist Mini Rocketman through to Volkswagen's battery-powered Kombi concept. Even Rolls-Royce is playing the future game at Geneva, unveiling a plug-in electric version of its $1 million-and-more Phantom flagship. The Honda Jazz also gets the sparky treatment in Switzerland, just like a new Opel electric concept and BMW's 1 Series plug-in.  Geneva is a spring fling for carmakers but the impact will be felt quickly in showrooms around the world, including Australia, with much more to come as the electrification of the car business picks up pace.  

Now the venerable VW is settling into its senior years. The famous vehicle is celebrating its 60th birthday this month, having become one of VW's best selling commercial models globally. When production of the van started in March, 1950, the German carmaker had no idea it would become a world-wide hit. With more than 10 million built, the purpose-built load carrier has evolved through five-generations to become today's Transporter, Multivan and Caravelle. However, many of the original Microbuses are still on the road and craved by collectors. The first T1 split-screen model was powered by a rear mounted four-cylinder, air-cooled, 1.1-litre petrol engine that developed just 19kW and had a top speed of 100km/h. The newest Transporter gets a range of turbo-diesel engines from 2.0-litres to 2.5-litres with outputs ranging from 62kW up to 128kW and top speeds of more than 160km/h. Although the design has evolved, the oldest and newest Transporter share the same badge at the front and a generous load area. VW has toyed with the idea of a 21st century Microbus and whetted appetites in 2001 when it launched the Microbus concept. Unfortunately it has never gone into production.

ANTHONY Field spends up to seven months of every year on the road.  When he pulls on the blue skivvy as the Blue Wiggle, he becomes an international celebrity with the world's weenie-boppers.So it's no surprise his favourite drive is the run home from Sydney airport to his wife, Miki, and their three children, Lucia, 5, Maria, 3 and Antonio, 18 months.  But Field, 45, is taking on even more work and now hosts Channel 7's RSPCA Animal Rescue, a documentary series that follows the tough cases the RSPCA inspectors and veterinary staff face every day.He says he is tired of being a passenger in the Big Red Car and jokes if money were no object, he'd buy it, pimp it up and charge Murray Cook (red Wiggle), Jeff Fatt (purple Wiggle) and Sam Moran (yellow Wiggle) to ride in it.What was your first car?A 1973 yellow Volkswagen Kombi. I bought it from my dad for $900 in 1981. It was a great car. I would sleep in it after big Cockroaches gigs. We took the seat out and I practically lived in it. I had it for three or four years until the accelerator cable broke. I figured it was getting a bit rusty and it was time to move on.What do you drive now?Ironically, I have a Volkswagen sponsorship now and I have a black EOS convertible.  We also have a family car, a Chrysler 300C sedan.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?I am away six to seven months of the year so my favourite drive is the one from Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney to home with my wife Miki.How far would you drive in a year?Only about 8000km, but my frequent-flyer points are phenomenal.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I have driven in the celebrity race at the Australian Grand Prix and the greatest thing about that was meeting some really great people and becoming friends. I was always down the bottom end of the pack so I don't think I'll be chasing a career in motorsport.What would you buy if money were no object?I would buy one of the most famous cars in Australia. I've been a passenger too long. I would buy the Big Red Car. I'd pimp it up and charge the other guys to ride in it.What music is playing in your car?Carlos Gardel. He's Argentinean and he was the king of tango.How much is too much for a new car?It's what you can afford, but petrol is going to cost the most, so you have to keep in mind how much it is going to guzzle. It's up to each person what they can afford.What should be done to make driving safer?The steps are already there with random breath testing, speed monitoring and ensuring people wear seatbelts -- that's all you can really do.Are you sponsored by a car company?Yes, Volkswagen. Miki loves it. I hardly get to drive the car.

His first car was a 1961 EK Holden he bought in 1980 for $2000. He sold it a couple of years later and ever since he's owned VWs. "I've had VWs all my life," the 46-year-old said. "I just swear by them. They are so reliable."He has since owned three Beetle variations and four Kombi models, including his current rare twin-cab ute. "I bought it from a lady who'd parked it in the street to go to the markets," he said. "I loved it, so I left a note on the windscreen and she said she had had a hundred people asking her to sell it for years, but eventually she did."Davis paid $6000 for it and spent untold amounts boring out the two-litre engine to 2.2L, lowering the suspension, replacing the metal tray with aluminium checker-board plate, adding 15-inch wheels and wide rubber, and chroming the front bumper, grille and headlight surrounds.Inside, it is in original condition except for the re-upholstered seats and the extra bit welded to the 500m gear shift to bring it closer to the bus-style original steering wheel. "I wanted to put a smaller steering wheel in but it gets hard to steer and also you can't then lean on the wheel," he said.The 1960s hippie icon has recently made a comeback with the Bigpond TV ad and Little Miss Sunshine movie. "Kombis are becoming quite popular because of that ad and also because they are becoming rare," he said."I know of a VW Safari Kombi that fetched about $70,000. "I've been offered $30,000 for mine so far which is not bad; it's getting more valuable as it gets older," he said.But Davis wouldn't part with it. "I'll probably have this the rest of my life," he said. "I use it every day and I've even been to Melbourne in it. My eight-year-old son Ethan wants this so I hope it is still going by then."Even if money were no object, he would remain true to his Kombi. "I'd probably just do this up with a Porsche engine," he said. However, even that might not happen because Davis is keen to keep his VW as original as possible. This policy has already led to a custom car show award for best original restoration.He believes the nostalgia it stirs makes the VW so valuable. "Most of my clients are fairly wealthy and have a Lexus or a Porsche in their driveway yet when I turn up in this they get all excited and say `I used to have one of these when I was young'," he said. "People are always taking photos of it at the traffic lights and waving and smiling."But Kombi ownership hasn't been all smiles, despite Davis's declaration that "there's not much that can go wrong with them". He confesses: "I have had a couple of breakdowns.""The worst thing that happened was when the accelerator cable broke and the engine is in the back," he said. "I had a guy who leaned out the back window with a coat hanger attached to the carby, operating the accelerator for me." 

Admits to once (briefly) owning a bright yellow Morris Marina, a Kermit green 1958 Kombi and a dead Renault which was turned into a veggie glass house in the back garden with a healthy crop of spuds growing in the boot.Old enough to remember trafficators, column shifts and a floor mounted highbeam switch.  Has been road testing cars for 22 years, owns a cabin cruiser, enjoys sailing, fishing and has a passion for wine.