The first Transporter – T1 for short – went into production on 8 March 1950. It has since become the most successful commercial vehicle with the longest production run in Europe to date.
The first VW Bus of 1950 has now become three product lines in 2025: the Transporter/Caravelle, Multivan/California and ID. Buzz/ID. Buzz Cargo.
Production of the T2 started in the Hanover plant in 1967. Its wide range of variants and robust properties made it a worldwide success.
In 1979, the third generation of the Transporter was pioneering in terms of technology. Catalytic converter, turbodiesel and all-wheel drive were used on the T3 for the first time.
By switching to front-mounted engines and front-wheel drive, the T4 built between 1990 and 2004 made VW Bus history with extraordinary spaciousness
The design of the T5 introduced in 2003 is considered a milestone. Limited models in particular are already in collectors’ hands today – just 10 years after its replacement.
With the T6 (from 2015) and T6.1 (from 2019), the VW Bus became more comfortable and digital than ever before in all versions.
Hanover, 8 March, 2025 – Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is celebrating 75 years of the VW Bus. It is the commercial vehicle with the longest production run in Europe. On 8 March 1950, the first Transporter – or T1 for short – left the production line in Wolfsburg. Since then, more than 12.5 million VW Buses have followed – produced in Hanover from 1956. This makes it the most successful European commercial vehicle of all time. It has already been a cult vehicle for many years. From the T1 to the sixth generation T6.1, one platform always provided the basis for all derivatives – from vans to camper van icons. But the era of electric mobility necessitated a transformation of the all-rounder and thus a paradigm shift: ‘One VW Bus for all’ therefore became ‘The right VW Bus for everyone’. The current Multivan marked the start of a new era in 2021 – a van designed for leisure and work, available for the first time with an optional plug-in hybrid drive. The first all-electric VW Bus in large-scale production followed in 2022 with the ID. Buzz. In 2025, the new Transporter product line is launching as the third model series. The current VW Bus range thus consists of three pillars with six base models: the Multivan and California, the ID. Buzz and the ID. Buzz Cargo commercial vehicle, as well as the Transporter and Caravelle shuttle version. They all carry the DNA of the multifunctional T1 in their design and layout to this day. And that’s how it will stay.
T1 – 1950 to 1967: Europe had to reinvent itself in 1950 and, with it, above all, the Federal Republic of Germany, which was founded a year earlier. American Bing Crosby was the musical superstar at the time, Elvis Presley was still a teenager, and Paul McCartney was a school boy. While rock music was only about to be invented, Volkswagen was already producing a small car for the fifth year, a car that was enjoying success all over the world: the Beetle, also known as Type 1. During this time, on 8 March, Volkswagen started series production of a second product line: the Transporter. Internally, they simply called it Type 2. It was still a blank page in the history of the automobile. But one that was eagerly anticipated. Because companies in the Federal Republic of Germany in particular – the burgeoning economic miracle – urgently needed an affordable van. A name for the Type 2 was also urgently needed. As early as 1949, Volkswagen had wanted to register the name ‘Bulli’ for the VW Bus with the patent office. But another company had previously secured the rights for a snow groomer. Unlucky, or perhaps not: because the name Bulli somehow made its way to the fans. The unofficial name of the van for the German-speaking region was born. Officially, it initially remained the ‘Transporter’.
centimetres in length. As a result, the T2 impressed with even greater spaciousness. A major facelift followed in 1972 and consolidated the success of the world bestseller. In 1978, the 4.5 millionth Transporter left the production halls. One year later, German T2 production was discontinued. By then, 2.2 million units of this second generation of VW Bus had been produced. A complete end to production was, however, still a long way off. It just continued elsewhere: up until 1987 in the Mexican Puebla plant with the air-cooled flat engine, then right up until 1996 with water-cooled four-cylinder engines. In addition, another 355,000 T2c would be built at Volkswagen do Brasil by 2013, until regulations led to the final farewell of this evergreen. The last 1,200 units of the T2 left the factory as the “56 Anos Kombi – Last Edition”.
T3 – 1979 to 1992: In the late 1970s, new bands like Dire Straits and The Alan Parsons 70s, Project and old cult rock bands in the style of Pink Floyd and Yes shaped the unique sound of the time. Unprecedented clarity and precision were shown in particular by Dire Straits with songs such as ‘Sultans of Swing’. The T3 from Volkswagen, presented in 1979, had similarly clear contours. Because it was now the most angular VW Bus of all time. But the T3 was also technically the best Transporter to date. In addition, icons such as the first California and the first Multivan were created on its basis. Conceptually, the T3 followed the previous models, but it transferred the technical DNA to the present thanks to new and modern technologies. Volkswagen made great strides in the area of passive safety. The wider body also offered significantly more passenger and load space with moderate increases in length and height; the standard flat engines also contributed to this. At market launch, the air-cooled T3 flat engines produced between 37 kW (50 PS) and 51 kW (70 PS). From 1981, a water-cooled diesel engine was installed at the rear of the Transporter for the first time. Output: also 37 kW (50 PS). Just a year later, the water-cooled flat engines specially developed for the bus followed. They produced 44 kW (60 PS) and 57 kW (78 PS). Their output later increased to up to 82 kW (112 PS). In 1985, Volkswagen added many other innovations. The petrol engines were equipped with catalytic converters, and the first diesel engines were given a turbocharger. Above all, however, the all-wheel drive models with a viscous coupling enhanced the range; they were given the additional designation ‘syncro’. From 1988, there was the first camper van built in-house: the California. The new T3 California immediately became a best seller: 5,000 units were sold in the first twelve months. When the last T3 rolled off the production line at the Hanover plant, further new versions such as the Caravelle and the Multivan had long since established themselves as bestsellers. Special editions such as the Multivan White Star and Blue Start became icons at the same time. The syncro versions of the T3 and 2,500 units of the Multivan Limited Last Edition, which is now a much sought-after classic, were still produced at the Steyr-Daimler Puch plant in Graz until 1992. In South Africa, the T3 was still produced until 2002.
T4 – 1990 to 2003: Turning on the car radio in 1990 without hearing a song by Phil Collins or Madonna and – in Germany – BAP, Westernhagen and Grönemeyer was practically impossible in the early 90s. This was the musical backdrop when Volkswagen presented the new T4 in August 1990. The fourth generation was a technical revolution. After 40 years of rear-wheel drive and a rear-mounted engine, Volkswagen completely changed the drive concept: from now on, the engines were located at the front; and they also no longer powered the rear axle, but the front wheels. Unless – as already optionally available in the T3 – the syncro drive was on board, which also powered the rear axle in the T4. This switch to front-wheel drive changed everything: design, chassis, engines and space. Much more room was now available above all at the rear, where on the T3 a fair bit of space was still taken up by the flat engine. Some of this was claimed by the new semi-trailing arm rear axle and the optional syncro all-wheel drive system, but the rest created extra cargo space. The new drive system layout made the handling even more like that of a passenger car.
At the front, the T4 became longer so as to provide sufficient space for the transversely mounted in-line four- and five-cylinder engines and to create better crash characteristics. At the market launch, T4 buyers could choose between three water-cooled petrol engines and two diesel engines (49 kW/61 PS to 81 kW/110 PS). All-wheel-drive fans could buy a T4 syncro from 1993. From 1995, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles acted as an independent brand within the Group. This was celebrated in January 1996 with a comprehensive update of the T4. There were a particularly large number of changes under the bonnet. A 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine was introduced in the T4 as the first turbodiesel direct injection engine (TDI) in a VW Transporter. The longer front section of the passenger car variants now allowed the integration of the VR6 petrol engine with a capacity of 2.8 litres. From 1998, the top-of-the-range TDI produced a remarkable 111 kW (151 PS), while the six-cylinder even unleashed up to 150 kW (204 PS). Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles heralded the end of T4 production with an exclusive special model: the Multivan Last Edition with particularly generous standard equipment. After a production period of 14 years and around two million units built, the revolutionary T4 was replaced by the T5 in 2003.
T5 – 2003 to 2015: Christina Aguilera, Dido and Nora Jones, Robbie Williams, Herbert Grönemeyer and Justin Timberlake shaped the soundtrack of 2003. In the German speaking world, Grönemeyer’s song ‘Mensch’ was known to everyone in a very short time. This is the year in which Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles launched the fifth generation of the Transporter – the T5. The new design was more spacious and variable than any other VW Bus before. The Transporter made its debut as a Kombi, panel van, dropside, double cab and chassis variant for third-party superstructures. In addition, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles redefined the VW Bus with the state-of-the-art new editions of the Caravelle, Multivan and California.
The design of the T5 was consistently based on the DNA and style of its predecessor, but looked even clearer, more powerful and more timeless. The interior was consistently designed according to ergonomic principles. This was particularly evident in the driver’s workplace, which impressed with features such as an optimally accessible joystick gearshift on the centre console and a cockpit landscape where all instruments, displays and controls were located on one visual axis. For the debut of the T5, propulsion was taken care of by unit injector turbodiesel (TDI) and petrol engines. The diesel engines developed between 63 kW (86 PS) and 128 kW (174 PS). The petrol engines ranged from 85 kW (115 PS) to a V6 power plant with 173 kW (235 PS). Due to a newly developed multiplate clutch technology, the name of the all-wheel-drive versions was changed from syncro to 4MOTION. With the launch of the new California, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles also moved production of the iconic camper van to Hanover. Highlights in the T5 model range at that time included the California NoLimit, limited to 222 units, the extremely luxurious Multivan Business with individual seats in Phaeton style and the all-wheel drive Multivan PanAmericana with all-terrain look. There was reason to celebrate in 2007: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles finally obtained the name rights for ‘Bulli’. Two years later, the TDI engines were replaced by new and quieter four-cylinder common-rail engines with an output of up to 132 kW (180 PS). The petrol engines were also replaced by new turbocharged engines: the four-cylinder direct injection engines (TSI) engines produced 110 kW (150 PS) and 150 kW (204 PS) respectively. Production of the T5 continued until 2015. After 13 years and around two million units, it was then replaced by the extensively modernised T6.
T6 and T6.1 – 2015 to 2024: Adele sang ‘Hello’ exactly ten years ago – with more than a billion views on YouTube, the music video of the song is one of the most successful ever. Taylor Swift catapulted herself into the charts with ‘Blank Space’ in the same year. And Ed Sheeran followed right after her with ‘Thinking Out Loud’. That was what it sounded like 2015 when Volkswagen launched a new evolutionary stage of the VW Bus: the T6. New engines, even more comprehensive assist systems and more modern infotainment systems characterised the new generation. Thanks to numerous detailed improvements, the sixth generation of the VW Bus also represented an independent step in the model history and simultaneously impressed through immense quality and maturity. The T6 model variants were divided into the commercial vehicle models of panel van, dropside, double cab, Kombi and Caravelle, as well as the family-oriented Multivan and the California camper van.
Outwardly, the T6 was recognisable above all by its redesigned front section. Its design combined stylish linearity with a highly dynamic appearance. The T6 also gained charisma, exclusivity and dynamism through its low-drawn front apron. New two-tone paint finishes represented a tribute to the first VW Bus generations. The range of engines included four new TDIs and two new TSIs, each with a capacity of two litres. In comparison with the previous model, the new engines saved around one litre of fuel. All drive systems had a Start/Stop function as standard. The power output ranged from 62 kW (84 PS) to 150 kW (204 PS). Depending on power output, they were coupled with a five- or six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed DSG. In addition, many variants could be ordered with 4MOTION all-wheel drive. A highlight was the optional adaptive chassis control DCC. In addition, the T6 brought many new assist and safety systems to the product line.
Even the already mature sixth VW Bus generation could be improved further, as the T6.1, unveiled in autumn 2019, showed: With it, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles transferred the cult model into the era of digitalisation. The completely redesigned dash panel of the T6.1, for example, was offered for the first time with fully digital instruments. The infotainment systems featured interactive connectivity via e-SIM and offered online-based functions and services. At the same time, natural voice control opened up the intuitive level of operation better than before. The 6.1 generation built until 2024 also came with an upgrade in the trim levels and a design update.