Celebrating 75 years of the Volkswagen Bus 

The iconic Volkswagen Bus has been moving people and goods worldwide since 1950. The success of the VW Bus is unique in automotive history, standing as a symbol of the ‘economic miracle’ that was post-WWII Germany, of the hippie movement, and to this day of reliability, freedom and adventure. 

On 8 March 1950, the first Volkswagen Transporter – or T1 for short – left the production line in Wolfsburg. Since then, more than 12.5 million VW Buses have followed, making this the most successful commercial vehicle with the longest production run in Europe to date. 

Now 75 years since its launch, let’s take a trip back through seven generations of the Volkswagen Bus, from the original 1950s T1 to the innovative fully electric ID. Buzz of today.

T1 (1950 to 1967)

The iconic Volkswagen Bus has now been moving people and goods worldwide for 75 years (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

In the early 1950s Europe found itself still rebuilding and reinventing itself after the horrors and devastation of WWII. A key part of that process was the establishment of the newly created Federal Republic of Germany, which was formed in 1949. American Bing Crosby was the biggest musical superstar of the time, Elvis Presley was a teenager, and Paul McCartney was still in school shorts and long socks. Rock music was only just being invented but Volkswagen was already in the fifth year of production of its remarkable small car that was enjoying unexpected success all over the world: the Beetle, also known as Type 1. 

During this time, Volkswagen also started series production of a second product line: the Transporter. Companies in the Federal Republic of Germany and elsewhere urgently needed an affordable van. Internally, the new model was simply called Type 2, but Volkswagen executives knew that a name was needed, with an early favourite for the VW Bus being ‘Bulli’. However, Volkswagen’s efforts to register the name with the patent office came unstuck when it was discovered another company had previously secured the rights for a snow groomer. Despite this, the name Bulli somehow made its way into the lexicon of German-speaking fans, while elsewhere the van was known simply as the ‘Transporter’.

The first version of the 4.10-metre-long Transporter or T1 was a panel van without windows in the load compartment. Its load bay  had a generous capacity of 4.5 cubic metres while its distinctive two-piece split-window windscreen resulted in it being given the nickname “Splittie” in Great Britain. Powered by the same 18kW (25 PS) horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine as the Beetle, the T1 reached a top speed of 80 km/h; later the output would increase to 32kW (44 PS) with a maximum speed of 105 km/h. 

Further body variants followed quickly: a Kombi version (with windows at the rear) was already available in April 1950, followed by a minibus and a dropside. Then, in June 1951, the model that is today considered the most legendary of all classic VW Bus vehicles made its debut, dubbed the ‘Small Bus Special Version’ it was quickly christened ‘Samba bus’ by fans. The Samba had room for nine people and came with up to 23 windows, two-tone paintwork and a luxurious specification including a panoramic folding roof. 

In 1956, Volkswagen relocated production of the Transporter and its derivatives to the new Hanover plant and just six years later, on 2 October 1962, the one millionth T1 left the assembly halls. By the time production ended in July 1967, more than 1.8 million T1s had been built, with production of this original model continuing in Brazil until 1975. For collectors, this first-generation Volkswagen bus is among the most desirable of all Volkswagen models, with premium process being paid for all variants but particularly the Splittie and the Samba. 

T2 (1967 to 1979)

Production of the T2 started in the Hanover plant in 1967, with its wide range of variants and robust properties making it a worldwide success (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

The T2 is the generation of VW Bus which today’s ‘baby boomers’ grew up with, and many kids of this generation discovered the world in the back of the VW bus. Along with family travels, the T2 was pressed into service in all manner of roles including postal delivery, as a tradies van, police vehicle, ambulance and more. But it was as a camper van that the T2 became the lionised as an indestructible and versatile vehicle for globetrotting adventurers.

Released in the same year that the Beatles dropped Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience made their first major American appearance, with Hendrix famously burning his guitar on stage, the second-generation VW Bus will forever be associated with the counter-cultural youth movement of the time.  

Just two years after its release, in August 1969, Jimi Hendrix and hundreds of other musicians descended on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, for what would become the most famous music festival of all time, Woodstock. Among the images that have burned themselves into humanity’s collective consciousness from this watershed event is that of the “flower power T1” with a happy couple on its roof. It helped make the VW Bus an icon of automotive freedom and was created and painted by the artist Dr. Bob Hieronimus, who is still connected to the VW Bus today and created a modern interpretation of his design with the ‘Earth Buzz’ in 2023.

Technically, a new front end was the most distinctive feature of the T2. Instead of the V-shaped vertical modulation between the round headlights, a design with horizontal lines now emphasised the width of the vehicle. Other details that made the T2 look notably more modern than its predecessor included larger side windows, a single-piece, curved windscreen, and a sliding side door as standard. 

Under the skin, Volkswagen’s engineers had also modernised the technology, with the most obvious progress being in the chassis and brakes. With an unchanged wheelbase at 2.40m and a slightly wider body, the big dimensional change was to overall length which grew by a substantial 20cm, resulting in an even more spacious load bay. 

A major facelift followed in 1972 and by 1978 the 4.5 millionth Transporter left the production halls. One year later, German T2 production was discontinued by which time 2.2 million units of this second generation of VW Bus had been produced. 

As with its T1 predecessor, production of the T2 continued elsewhere after manufacturing ceased in Germany, including in the Mexican Puebla plant which built T2’s with the air-cooled flat four-cylinder engine up until 1987, and with the more modern water-cooled four-cylinder engines up until 1996. Another 355,000 T2s were built at Volkswagen do Brazil right up until 2013, when regulations eventually led to the final farewell of this evergreen icon. The last 1,200 units of the T2 left the Brazilian factory badged as the “56 Anos Kombi – Last Edition”.

T3 (1979 to 1992)

The third generation Volkswagen Transporter introduced such pioneering technology as the catalytic converter, a turbo-diesel engine and all-wheel drive (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

By the late 1970s music was changing, again. New bands like Dire Straits and The Alan Parsons Project had joined the ranks of established cult rock bands like Pink Floyd and Yes, helping shape the unique sound of the time. 

The shape of cars was changing, too, including that of Volkswagen’s trusty bus, which debuted an angular new look for the T3 of 1979. As well as representing a distinct styling departure from the soft curves of its predecessor, the T3 was also the most technically advanced Transporter to date. 

Conceptually, the T3 followed the previous models, but it transferred the technical DNA to the present thanks to new and more modern technologies. Volkswagen made great strides in passive safety with this model, with the T3’s wider body also offering significantly more passenger and load space with only moderate increases in length and height.

The Transporter’s now iconic air-cooled flat four-cylinder engines were retained delivering outputs of between 37kW (50 PS) and 51kW (70 PS) depending on the variant. 

From 1981, a water-cooled diesel engine was installed for the first time, retaining the old model’s modest 37kW (50 PS) output. But a year later, the water-cooled flat-four petrol engines specially developed for the bus followed, offering a more-spritely 44kW (60 PS) and 57kW (78 PS), which would eventually increase to 82kW (112 PS) in later iterations. 

In 1985, Volkswagen continued to innovate with updates that added catalytic converters to the petrol engines and introduced a turbodiesel engine for the first time. But it was the introduction of an all-wheel drive model that was arguably the greatest innovation of this generation to date. The all-wheel drive system featured a viscous coupling for enhanced traction and models thus equipped were given the additional designation ‘syncro’. 

Come 1988, and Volkswagen turned its attention to launching its first in-house built camper van, the California. The new T3 California was an immediate hit, with some 5,000 units sold in the first 12 months. 

By the time the last T3 rolled off the production line at the Hanover plant in 1991, further new versions such as the Caravelle and the Multivan had also established themselves as bestselling variants of the evergreen bus. 

Syncro versions of the T3 and 2,500 units of the Multivan Limited Last Edition continued to be produced at the Steyr-Daimler Puch plant in Graz until 1992, while in South Africa the T3 remained in production until 2002.

T4 (1990 to 2003)

By switching to front-mounted engines and front-wheel drive, the T4 made VW Bus history with its extraordinary spaciousness (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

Turning on the car radio in the early 1990s without hearing a song by Phil Collins or Madonna was practically impossible. 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 instead of powering the rear axle, they drove the front wheels. That was, of course, unless the syncro all-wheel drive option had been ticked. 

The switch to front-wheel drive meant everything about the T4 was different to the T3 including its design, chassis, engines and space. Much more room was available, especially in the cargo area, thanks to the engine no longer being located at the rear. Some of this space was claimed by the new semi-trailing arm rear axle, which made the handling feel even more car-like, and some of it was reserved for the syncro all-wheel system which wouldn’t arrive in T4 until 1993, but the rest went towards extra cargo space. 

At the front, the T4 became longer, to provide sufficient space for the transversely mounted in-line four- and five-cylinder engines and to create better crash characteristics. At launch, T4 buyers could choose between three water-cooled petrol engines and two diesel engines (49kW/61 PS to 81kW/110 PS). 

From 1995, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles acted as an independent brand within the Group, an event celebrated in January 1996 with a comprehensive update of the T4. Among the key changes were a new 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, which was the first use of a turbodiesel direct injection engine (TDI) in a VW Transporter.

The longer front section of the passenger variants allowed for 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 111kW (151 PS), while the narrow-angle V6 unleashed up to 150kW (204 PS). 

After a production run of 14 years during which around 2 million units were built, the revolutionary T4 was replaced by the T5 in 2003, but not before Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles marked the occasion with generously equipped special model, the Multivan Last Edition. 

T5 (2003 to 2015)

The design of the T5 is considered a milestone, with some models already coveted by collectors, just a decade after it ceased production (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

Christina Aguilera, Dido and Nora Jones, Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake shaped the soundtrack of 2003. This was also the year in which Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles launched the fifth generation Transporter – the T5. 

The new design was more spacious and variable than any other VW Bus before, with the T5 debuting as a Kombi, panel van, dropside, double cab and chassis variant. As if that weren’t enough, 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 based on the DNA and style of its predecessor, but looked cleaner, more powerful and more timeless. The interior was consistently designed according to ergonomic principles, something 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 63kW (86 PS) and 128kW (174 PS). The petrol engines ranged from 85kW (115 PS) to a V6 power plant with 173kW (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, the extremely luxurious Multivan Business with individual seats in Phaeton style, and the all-wheel drive Multivan PanAmericana with all-terrain look. 

Come 2007 and the folk at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles were as popping the Sekt corks having finally obtained the naming 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 132kW (180 PS). The petrol engines were also replaced by new turbocharged engines: the four-cylinder direct injection engines (TSI) engines produced 110kW (150 PS) and 150kW (204 PS) respectively. 

Production of the T5 continued until 2015 when, after 13 years and around 2 million units, it was then replaced by the extensively modernised T6.

T6 and T6.1 (2015 to 2024)

With the 2015’s T6 (shown above) and 2019’s T6.1, the VW Bus became more comfortable and digital than ever before in all versions (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

Released the same year as the Volkswagen T6, Adele’s ‘Hello’ has since gone on to chalk up more than a billion views on YouTube, making this one of the most successful music videos ever. While the soulful piano ballad itself is utterly emblematic of this era, so too are songs such as ‘Blank Space’ by Taylor Swift and ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran which catapulted these artists into the charts in the same year. 

These and other songs contributed to the excellent soundtrack that accompanied the launch of the evolutionary T6, which introduced new engines, even more comprehensive assist systems, and more modern infotainment systems, and numerous detail improvements. 

This sixth generation of the VW Bus also represents an important step in the model history as it marks the point where the model variants were more clearly divided into the commercial vehicle models of panel van, dropside, double cab, Kombi and Caravelle, versus the passenger-oriented Multivan and the California camper van.

Outwardly, the T6 was recognisable by its redesigned front end which 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, while the range of engines included four new TDIs and two new TSIs, each with a capacity of 2.0-litres. 

In comparison with the previous model, the new engines saved around 1.0L/100km of fuel thanks to the introduction of various fuel saving technologies including a Start/Stop function as standard. Power outputs ranged from 62kW (84 PS) to 150kW (204 PS), with eth option of a five- or six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed DSG, depending on output. A wider number of variants could also be ordered with the 4MOTION all-wheel drive system. 

A major technical highlight was the introduction of optional adaptive chassis control DCC, and the T6 also introduced many new assist and safety systems to the product line.

Even more improvements followed just four years later with the launch of the T6.1, unveiled in autumn 2019. This is the Volkswagen Bus that marks the inflection point from analogue to digital, with the completely redesigned dash panel incorporating fully digital instruments for the first time with. The infotainment systems featured interactive connectivity via e-SIM and offered online-based functions and services. At the same time, natural voice control opened a new level of intuitive operation. 

Volkswagen’s 2025 lineup includes, from left to right, the Multivan/California, Transporter/Caravelle, and all-electric ID. Buzz (Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)

The current Multivan and California (since 2021)

In November 2021, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles introduced the new Multivan generation with drive and electronics systems based for the first time on the modular transverse matrix (MQB). With it, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles opened a new high-tech spectrum for the VW Bus. 

The first plug-in hybrid drive system on a Volkswagen Bus became available as an option in 2021 and since the end of 2024 the lineup has also included a plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive for both the Multivan and California, enabling these two cult models to operate as electric vehicles in everyday life. 

The current ID. Buzz (since 2022)

On 9 March 2022, Volkswagen unveiled the production version of the new ID. Buzz. From the outset, the electric VW Bus was offered in two versions: as the ID. Buzz Pro for family, leisure and business, and as the ID. Buzz Cargo for trade, business and industry. 

This is still the case today but the ID. Buzz family has continued to evolve rapidly, adding a completely new high-efficiency drive system with an output of 210kW (286 PS) and a new 79 kWh (net) battery were in 2024. Also joining the lineup is the ID. Buzz with extended wheelbase, maximised space and an 86-kWh battery (net), and the top-of-the-range ID. Buzz GTX with 250kW (340 PS). This, the most powerful VW Bus ever features unmatched performance, all-wheel drive and high towing capacities. 

The new Transporter and Caravelle (since 2024)

The current Transporter and Caravelle are the two latest models in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles range. The Transporter is offered as a panel van in various versions, as a Kombi for the combined transport of larger teams plus equipment and as a dropside with a double cab and – depending on version –with two wheelbases and two roof heights. 

Available in parallel to the Transporter is the Caravelle sister model, which is designed for professional passenger transport. The Caravelle range covers applications from large-capacity taxi with eight or nine seats to exclusive VIP shuttle and is also available with two wheelbases. 

The new generation of both models has been improved in all areas –with significant improvements in space, body styles, higher payload, and optimised efficiency. 

On the drive side, the product line is characterised by state-of-the-art turbodiesel, plug-in hybrid and electric drive systems. 

An icon that endures

The Volkswagen Bus lineup of 2025 is a far cry from the crude predecessor that rolled off the production line in Hanover some 75 years ago. But despite so many changes over the decades, the durable and pragmatic nature of the model still shines through. 

That single VW Bus of 1950 has now become three distinct product lines: Transporter/Caravelle, Multivan/California and ID. Buzz/ID. Buzz Cargo, representing the largest range of VW Bus models ever.

The versatility of the product line makes it impressively clear that the VW Bus will remain the original of all vans in future automotive eras – an iconic all-rounder for work, family, leisure and adventure.

Who know what lies ahead, but Volkswagen is already working on the Bus of the future, with the fully autonomous ID. Buzz AD currently under development with view to eventually developing a self-driving bus that will sustainable mobility and transport solutions for people and goods worldwide.

(Image: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles)