ASK anyone in my generation and there will probably be a memory of the VW Kombi somewhere in their lives.
My recall of the VW Microbus started when I was 5 years old. My brother and I rode Mang Nic’s grey Kombi, our “official” school bus to Lourdes School in Quezon City. It was a “barndoor” version modified with jeepney-style side-by-side benches fitted to take in a lot (I imagine as many as 15) of schoolchildren and their big bags.
My later encounters with many other Kombis include my first trip to Pansol in Los Baños on a rare Samba VW owned by my father’s friend Atty. C.C. de Castro, a long drive with my dad to Laoag in 1978 using a United Laboratories panel van, my first solo drive to Porac in Pampanga on a 1600 Kombi. I even remember a BMX’er who used to transport his bikes on a modified Caravelle (a Kombi with an American name) despite the difficulty of sideloading via a sliding door. Then there was the Westfalia-Werke Kombi Kamper of my uncle Nicanor Lopez (another Nick), which I only remember being used mostly as a playhouse in their garage.
My in-laws in San Pablo had two Kombis. My wife’s fondest memories of her road trips alternated on an orange-and-white Type 2 and a maroon one with a 1700 cc engine owned by the Laborte family. She remembered sitting up front on a bench in the orange van which had white vinyl seats, while the red one had grey-colored bench seats. Those Kombis were driven by my father-in-law, Nicasio, who is also known as Mang Nick.
I am only one of many people who have many wonderful memories about the Kombi. One can thus assume that it is with eager anticipation that Baby Boomers await the coming of Volkswagen’s new Multivan Kombi after the company’s announcement yesterday.
This is not the first time Volkswagen tried to introduce a transporter-type vehicle in the Philippines. When it first re-entered the market under the Ayala Group, the Caddy was one of the vehicles in the line-up, though it is not and was never marketed in the same lineage as the Kombi. Those who saw it, however, may have thought it was “like a Kombi.”
The Kombi’s parentage and DNA come from three design concepts that came from the mind of Dutch businessman Ben Pon in 1949. Pon proposed a rear-engine, front cargo loading vehicle on VW Beetle chassis. His inspiration however came from the “plattenwagen” parts transporters at VW’s Wolfburg plant.
These “parts carts,” had the practicality of a flat floor that can be configured in many ways. The Kombi was conceptualized as having that fully flat floor, removable seats, a wide side door (started with twin doors, later a single sliding door) a rear cargo hatch, and a tall profile to maximize space.
These are the five things that made the Kombi, a Kombi. There is a sixth characteristic, a rear-engine which has, since 1990 has been scratched off the DNA list after the T4 adopted a front-engine configuration.
Kombi–a truncation of Kombinationskraftwagen or combination motor vehicle, which was shortened in some European markets to Kombiwagen–or station wagon in German was given that name because it had liftback, the signature rear door of a station wagon.
This practicality was what made it endearing to the hippie generation. The air-cooled engine meant no overheating and the flat floor configuration allowed discarding the seats and replacing them with mattresses and carpets.
Will the new Kombi live up to these expectations and connect to the original Kombi DNA?
When looking at global specifications as well as photos posted by Autoindustriya.com, the Volkswagen Multivan Kombi that will reach the Philippines is not the latest T6.1 revealed at the Geneva Motor Show. This car was shown only to the media, as the public event from March 4 to March 15 was canceled.
But what is sure is that this T6 has a turbo-diesel option which hopefully finds its way to the PH version. Main features of this variant include more driver-assist functions, styling updates with the grilles and the lights, and a new dashboard (but an option) called the “Virtual Cockpit” dispensing away with the common red- or amber-lettered, LCD faced audio systems and incorporating updated infotainment systems similar to those used in VW’s passenger car range.
It is made by the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle Group with factories in Hanover in Germany, in Poznan in Poland, and massive distribution centers in China. So sourcing will definitely affect the final price.
The Kombi comeback is expected in the third quarter of this year. This people carrier was one of the “surprise” promises made by VW at the launch of the T-Cross earlier this year. The other surprises may include a VW electric vehicle.
Let’s see how the Kombi will fare amidst the offerings of the Koreans, Japanese, and the Chinese. With its European-ess, unadulterated, straightforward, and boxy design, and hopefully a TDI engine with a standard automatic and a reliable manual option it can, with the right price, bring back the soul of the Kombi to the Baby Boomers and even Gen Y’s who have probably heard of the name in stories or seen the car in movies.
Volkwagen declares, “now, amidst the multitude of van designs other automakers have offered to the Filipino public, the is about to stage a comeback and reclaim its old place in local road lore. This updated icon may yet prove to be some happy local motoring history ready to repeat and reveal itself sooner than one might think.”
