In the midst of the crisis at Volkswagen, the new generation of its transporter has been presented. For the first time, it is no longer a pure VW product.
VW Transporter Panamerica
Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge
At the start of the IAA Transportation commercial vehicle trade fair, Volkswagen presented the new generation of its Transporter in Hanover. On the evening before the exhibition, which opens to journalists and trade visitors on Monday, brand director Carsten Intra presented the "New Transporter", which is to succeed the previous T6.1. Intra was confident that the new model would build on the success of the six "Bulli" generations to date.
Unlike its predecessor, the T6.1, which was discontinued at the end of June, VW will no longer produce the new Transporter itself. It was developed jointly with Ford. And it will also be built together with the sister model Ford Transit at Ford in Turkey. The model is to be delivered from the end of 2024, initially in selected markets in Europe, and from the beginning of 2025 in Germany as well.
Three Models Replace the "Bulli"
With the launch of the new Transporter, VW is completing the restructuring of its Transporter family. Instead of one model – the "Bulli", which has been built in six generations since 1950 – there are now three parallel series for the segment: the Multivan, presented in 2022, on the car platform taken over from the Golf and Passat as a family and leisure vehicle, the fully electric ID. Buzz and the recently introduced Transporter from the collaboration with Ford.
The predecessor model, T6.1, was previously the best-selling model from the VW Commercial Vehicles brand (VWCV). Production of this model ended at the end of June. In 2020, Ford and VW agreed on an extensive collaboration in the field of light commercial vehicles. After the Amarok pick-up truck, the Transporter is now the second VW model to come from the partner. In return, VW supplies the Ford Tourneo Connect delivery van, which is built together with the VW sister model Caddy at the Polish VWN plant in Poznań (Posen).
Employees Worry About Their Jobs
Volkswagen announced at the beginning of September that it would be significantly intensifying its cost-cutting program. Redundancies and plant closures can no longer be ruled out, and the job guarantee that was originally valid until 2029 has been terminated. Employees at the VWN plant in Hanover are also worried about their future. The site has around 14,000 employees.
This is a partly automated translation of this German article by dpa.
