Hey Deb your beloved VW Kombi is reborn its the ID Buzz have a look
Now I’m not saying that Debbie is into VW Kombis but… she misses her Pop Top Kombi still after all these years and I don’t help by feeding this and buying all little reminders as can be seen above…
Oh and there’s more scattered around the place as well including cups 😘
Ok so where were we… that’s right a New Kombi!
So more than 70 years after the 1st VW Kombi was released Volkswagen has announced the latest iteration of its iconic Kombi van – an electric vehicle named the ID.Buzz (yes electric).
Parts of this blog were reproduced with thanks from an RACV article by Nicola Dowse on the 15th March 2022 click here to read the full story
A Little History behind the myth, the Legend
The Kombis journey started in the late 1940s, when Volkswagen wanted to create a second vehicle to complement its VW Beetle.
When released in 1950, it was intended as a delivery and transport vehicle, and although the van is commonly known as the Kombi these days, its was officially dubbed the Volkswagen Type 2 (the Beetle being the Volkswagen Type 1).
During the Kombi’s meteoric rise in the 1950s that the van also started being used as a tourist vehicle. The 1951 ‘Samba’ variant – with its bi-parting doors, 23 windows and optional fabric sunroof – was marketed specifically as a vehicle to travel the Alps.
Other variants such as the ‘Westfalia’ were designed for campers, and included features such as curtains, electric hook-ups, water storage, cabinets, an ice box, and an optional pop-up roof.
Kombis were designed as ice cream vans, ambulances, flat beds and in some places such as Brazil used as Taxis known as the ‘Lotação’ Kombi variant and was produced until 1975.
The rise of an icon & the Kombi revival #VanLife
The spacious, and relatively easy-to-maintain vans quickly became popular, so much so that Kombis developed the enduring ‘hippy bus’ or ‘hippy van’ nicknames.
The humble Kombi would ultimately become an icon synonymous with the ‘peace and love’ movement and the free spirited vision of the flower powered lifestyle of the 1960s and 70s.
While Volkswagen released further vans following the T1 and T2 models, the unmistakable rounded body and rear-mounted engine disappeared from later makes such as the T3, T4, T5 and T6. Sadly, production of the Kombi ceased in 2013 for environmental and safety reasons – and as sad as this was, the Kombi has still remained as popular today as it ever was.
The classic Kombi is in high demand for weddings, formals, hen’s parties and as for use as a camper van plus more – they are a lifestyle!!
Just search for the hashtags #vanlife, #kombilife, #kombi, #kombilovers and like wow it is a lifestyle that I would compare in dedication to Harley owners and yes including tattoos
And so with a new Kombi van to be released in Europe in the second half of this year it should if approved for the Aussie Market be here from 2023 onwards.
It will, like the Kombis of past, be available as a passenger and cargo vehicle eg ID.Buzz Cargo.
They say the fully electric vehicles (yeah I know weird) will reach speeds of up to 145kph and on a single charge have a range of 400km. Uses Seaqual yarn in its interior, which is made from recycled PET plastic bottles and salvaged marine plastics 😳
And the Price??? gulp…
European pricing has been revealed with the vans starting from €55,000 (euro) which is approximately $82,000AUD wow…
Well Deb there you go… time to start saving, nah go the Classic Kombi so much nicer!
Anyway I have rambled on for too long, hey if you see me out on the road say gday or hit me up on UHF Channel 40
Till next time, take care, yours in country music – Leigh
