Volkswagen is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its iconic bus, an enduring symbol in the U.S. at least of the culture-shifting 1960s.
The German company, whose country had emerged from World War II just a few years earlier, produced the first commercial vehicle that it initially named Transporter, or T1 for short, in March 1950.
The panel van, nicknamed Sofie, looks like the familiar vintage VW bus but without all of the windows that gave the later camper van much of its distinctive style.
Multiple generations of the vehicle followed, including the second and most famous version, which appeared in 1967, when it became forever associated with the turbulent decade and the baby boomer generation and introduced the bus to a worldwide consumer pool.
It was followed by the third generation in 1979, with what VW calls pioneering catalytic converter technology and all-wheel drive. Then came the spacious fourth edition in 1990 with a front-mounted engine and front-wheel drive; the fifth in 2003, which VW calls a milestone with some models already collectors’ items.
Today’s sixth generation, first produced in 2015, introduced a more digitally focused vehicle with a nod to its past with two-toned paint finishes. The T6.1 that followed in 2019 went further with a completely digital dash panel.
Other versions, including the ID.Buzz, have taken the line deeper into the present. Over the decades, VW has produced 12.5 million buses in all, the company said.
Today, the bus has three lines: the Transporter/Caravelle, Multivan/California and the ID.Buzz/ID.Buzz Cargo.
VW will celebrate the anniversary with international events in various locales.
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