Volkswagen Transporter
The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its sixth generation, refers to a series of vans produced over 60 years and marketed worldwide.
The T series is now considered an official Volkswagen Group automotive platform.[1][2] and generations are sequentially named T1, T2, T3, T4,T5 and T6. Pre-dating the T platform designations, the first three generations were named Type 2, indicating their relative position to the Type 1, or Beetle. As part of the T platform, the first three generations are retroactively named T1, T2 and T3.
The Transporter is the best-selling van in history with over 12 million units sold worldwide,[3] and it comprises a gamut of variants including vans, minivans, minibuses, pick-ups, campervans. Competitors include the Ford Transit, Toyota Hiace and Mercedes-Benz Vito.
T1 – Type 2 (1950–1967)
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Initially derived from the Volkswagen Type 1 (Volkswagen Beetle), the Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) was the first generation of Volkswagen's Transporter family.
T2 – Type 2 (1967–1979)
The Volkswagen T2 platform[2] was marketed from 1967 through 1979 model years, with a Volkswagen Type 4 engine optionally available from 1972 on.
T3 – Type 2 (1979–1992)
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The Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), also known as the T25, or Vanagon in the United States, was one of the last new Volkswagen platforms to use an air-cooled engine. The Volkswagen air-cooled engine was succeeded by a water-cooled boxer engine (still rear-mounted) in 1983.
T4 – Transporter (1990–2003)
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The first officially designated "T platform" vehicle, the Volkswagen Transporter (T4)[1] dramatically updated the Volkswagen van line by using a front-mounted, front-wheel drive, water-cooled engine. The T4 was marketed in North America as the Volkswagen Eurovan.
T5 – Transporter (2003–2016)
2003-2009 (pre facelift)
The Volkswagen Transporter (T5)[1][2] is the current variant of the Volkswagen T platform. In North America it is sold in Mexico but not in the United States or Canada. As with other light trucks, the T5 range would face a 25% tariff, known as the chicken tax, if imported to the US.
2009-2016 (facelift)
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The Transporter T5 range received a facelift in late 2009. Updated powertrain options include common rail diesel engines, and a world-first usage in a light commercial vehicle of a dual clutch transmission – namely Volkswagen Group's 7-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG).
T6 – Transporter (2015-present)
In 2016, Volkswagen released the latest iteration of the Transporter, the T6.
References
- ^ a b c "Europe's slight rise & anticipated decline – Auto by the Numbers – car sales, production in Western Europe – Illustration – Statistical Data Included". Automotive Design & Production, April 2002 by Mark Fulthorpe / Gardner Publications, Inc. / Gale Group. CBS Interactive Business UK. 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Im Fokus: Volkswagen – Kernkompetenz: Sparen" (PDF). CSM Worldwide (in German). Automobil-Produktion.de. March 2006. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
- ^ "Top 20 best-selling vans of all time". Parkers Van News. Bauer Media. 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
External links
- Volkswagen Transporter Guide
- Volkswagen Group corporate website
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles corporate website
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