Brazil’s New Car Safety Regulations Affect Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi Production

Brazil has stricter vehicle safety regulations that will be in effect in 2014. The Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi is one of the vehicles to be severely affected by these new regulations, which include the installation of driver and passenger airbags and ABS system. With a frame design that barely changed since it was first produced in the 50s, these new requirements will be too costly for Volkswagen to install and the company decided to stop its production. The last one in the production line rolled out on the last day of December 2013. The multi-purpose classic vehicle penetrated the worldwide market since the 1950s. The camper van or the VW Transporter is Volkswagen’s longest-produced car model in the history of automobiles. Since it started production, about 3.5 million of the affordable vehicle were produced.

A 60s freedom icon

The VW Type 2 Kombi is almost 64 years old. The first batch of this utilitarian vehicle rolled out the Wolfsburg plant in Germany late in 1949 and made its first appearance at a motor show in Geneva. The multipurpose minivan that inspired many other car manufacturers quickly became a favorite, with proud owners making their own modifications and additions to the affordable van, turning it into their preferred vehicle for making long trips, attaching it to a motor home. It became the symbol of the hippie generation in the 1960s and likewise a favorite among surfers. It literally became a little house on wheels that can fit more than 10 adult passengers. It was such a huge hit, gracing album covers, utilized in movies and music videos. Customized VW Kombi began appearing, equipped with roof racks to secure bicycles and surfboards. It has been customized and painted in a different styles, showing the personal style and quirkiness of proud owners.

Why the phase out?

More stringent vehicle safety regulations to be passed in Brazil in early 2014 is the cause of the phase out. The vehicle cannot be equipped with driver and passenger air bags and anti-lock brakes, as the modifications to accommodate these safety features are going to be too costly for the manufacturer. Its 1950s frame has changed very little over the years, although the exterior design has gone several face lifts.

One for the road

Volkswagen’s Brazil plant has produced 1,200 Last Edition Type 2 Kombis to mark the occasion. It is aimed at nostalgic fans and car collectors with special interior features such as a numbered plaque on its dashboard, two-tone vinyl seats, whitewall tires and two-tone exterior paint work.

Might not be the end of the road, yet

According to the latest developments, Brazil’s finance minister Guido Mantega is looking into the possibility that the Kombi might be exempted from the new safety regulations since its design does not have any room for the installation of the required safety features.

Several nicknames

For a single vehicle, the Kombi surely has a lot of nicknames. In Germany it is called the Transporter, Kombi (from Kombinationskraftwagen) and VW-Bus. In Mexico and Peru it is called Combi. It is the Breadloaf or Pão-de-Forma in Portugal and Rye Bread or Rugbrød in Denmark. In Chile and Finland, it is known as the Kleinbus. Volksie Bus is what people in Swaziland and South Africa call it, while Danfo is its nickname in Nigeria. It’s the camping-car (do not forget the hyphen) in France and the Campervan in the UK. Americans gave it the most number of nicknames, including Splitty, Vanagon, Microbus, hippie van, hippie bust, hippie-mobile, minibus, vee-dub and VW bus.

Photo Credit: VW Kombi