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.
Contents
- T1 Type 2 19501967
- T2 Type 2 19671979
- T3 Type 2 19791992
- T4 Transporter 19902003
- 2003 2009 pre facelift
- 2009 2016 facelift
- T6 Transporter 201505 present
- References
The T series is now considered an official Volkswagen Group automotive platform. 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, 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)
Main article: Volkswagen Type 2 (T1)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 was marketed from 1967 through 1979 model years, with a Volkswagen Type 4 engine optionally available from 1972 on.
T3 – Type 2 (1979–1992)
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)
The first officially designated "T platform" vehicle, the Volkswagen Transporter (T4) 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.
2003-2009 (pre facelift)
The Volkswagen Transporter (T5) 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)
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 (2015.05-present)
In 2016, Volkswagen released the latest iteration of the Transporter, the T6.