1980 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Camper 40k Original Miles 4spd on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen drops first teaser of next-gen T6 Transporter

The history of Volkswagen's line of boxy Transporter vans goes all the way back to 1950, and the early models' shape likely ranks in fame with the Beetle. VW Commercial Vehicles is now teasing the next step in that legacy with this sketch of the new T6. Judging by this shot, VW is sticking with the van's familiar, square shape. Although this sketch makes the front end look a bit more curvaceous and possibly with a shorter overhang than the current T5. Finding out the truth won't take long because the T6 will debut on April 15, and it will go on sale in the UK by the end of the year. These days the US commercial van segment is rapidly expanding with new models filling the market. Autoblog reached out to VW spokesperson Mark Gillies to find out if the latest Transporter might come across the Atlantic. "LCVs are under consideration, but there are no plans" to bring the T6 to the US at this time, Gillies said. Related Video: Show full PR text VOLKSWAGEN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES REVEALS SKETCH OF FORTHCOMING SIXTH-GENERATION TRANSPORTER Ahead of its official world premiere on 15 April 2015, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has revealed a sketch of the sixth-generation Transporter. When it made its public debut in 1950, few could have predicted the enormous impact the Transporter would have in revolutionising the commercial vehicle market, creating a timeless automotive icon in the process. Whilst the Transporter has evolved dramatically during that time the philosophy and vision that created the original still holds true. Getting the job done efficiently and reliably has been at the heart of the Volkswagen philosophy for the past 65 years. Its reputation for rugged reliability has endured over the decades to make the Volkswagen Transporter one of the world's best-selling light commercial vehicles. The sixth-generation Transporter will go on sale in the UK later this year. (ends)

Former Audi chief designer Wolfgang Egger leaves Italdesign

The latest word from the international community of automotive designers has it that Wolfgang Egger is leaving Italdesign, but just where the accomplished designer will land next and who will take his place remain big question marks. Egger is a designer who has bounced back and forth between Italy and Germany over the course of his career. He was born in Germany but studied in Milan. He began his career at Alfa Romeo in 1989 and was named its chief designer by 1993 before being head-hunted by the Volkswagen Group in 1998 to head up the design department at Seat. A few years later he went returned to Italy to run the Lancia design department, and was subsequently renamed to the same post at Alfa Romeo. In 2007 he went back to his native Germany to head up the Audi design office, over which he assumed complete responsibility by 2012, but left Audi in 2013 to run Italdesign. For those unfamiliar, Italdesign is the studio founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro (pictured at left next to Egger) back in 1968 but which, along with many other Italian design houses, fell on hard times in recent years. The Volkswagen Group swooped in to rescue the troubled studio in 2010, turning it into something of an in-house advanced design department to provide an alternative perspective on the direction in which the group and its various brands could take their respective designs moving forward. With Egger now leaving its helm, Italdesign and its German parent company will need to find his replacement, and we're sure they'll announce one in due course. The bigger question on our minds, however, is where Egger himself will head next. Given the path his career has taken to date, we wouldn't be surprised to see him land elsewhere in the Volkswagen Group or find a new role in the expanding Fiat Chrysler Automobiles empire. Then again, Egger could find it time to open an entirely new chapter. Watch this space. News Source: Car Design NewsImage Credit: Newspress Design/Style Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Audi Volkswagen designer italdesign giugiaro wolfgang egger

Volkswagen NMC production guise caught in China

Chinese car site Autohome has what are said to be the first pictures of the Volkswagen New Midsize Coupe concept in production form. VW's NMC was just introduced at the Beijing Motor Show, while background chatter indicated it would go on sale in China, Autohome says that production version will be built at the Shanghai-Volkswagen plant in Ningbo, and the retail guise could be introduced at the Guangzhou Motor Show in November and go on sale that same month.
Assuming this is the production car, its main lines have made the jump from the concept but with less fine detailing, a silver hue and with conventional VW wheels it's lost a little bit of oomph. Still, a few checkmarks on the option sheet can fix most of that, the shape remains handsome and the 2.0-liter turbo underhood keeps performance peppy and mileage frugal enough. You can head to Autohome for a couple more photos of a sedan we'd be happy to make room for over here.