Volkswagen T2/Kombi Production Ending December 31, 2013

The Volkswagen Type 2Volkswagen Microbus de LuxeGermany, 1960 > present3 photos
, or Kombi, Microbus or Transporter as it is known in some regions, will finally end production after 63 years. The icon was still built and sold in Brazil, but 2014 safety regulations will make the car impossible to sell. 

The Kombi, as it is sold as in Brazil, will end production in Brazil on December 31, 2013, just one day before the new safety rules go into effect. The new rules say that all cars must offer anti-lock brakes and front passenger airbags. According to Egon Feichter, VW product chief in Brazil, re-engineering the car would cost too much to be worth it. 

The Kombi in Brazil comes with a 1.4-liter flat-four engine that runs on either gasoline or ethanol that produces 78hp and 90.41lb-ft of torque (122.6Nm) on petrol or 80hp and 91.86lb-ft of torque (124.5Nm) on ethanol. The only transmission is a four-speed manual. It takes 16.6 seconds to accelerate to 100km/h on petrol or 16.1 seconds when running on ethanol. Regardless of fuel, the top speed is 130km/h. 

Prices start at R$48,150 ($23,753.08 or €18,321.94).

The Type 2 started production in 1950. About 251 of them are still built daily at Volkswagen's Anchieta, Brazil, factory. 

Source: Autocar