To adapt to the economic context following the first oil shock as well as to specific uses in emerging countries, Volkswagen developed, in the 1970s, a very rudimentary utility vehicle. With its cubic cabin, would the Basis-Transporter be the ancestor of the Tesla Cybertruck?
In parallel with the Beetles and Combi, Volkswagen marketed, during the second half of the 1970s, an astonishing utility vehicle simply called Basis-Transporter. An ultra rudimentary model, known by the internal code EA489, developed for emerging markets in the wake of the first oil shock of 1973.
A very rudimentary conception
The specifications were summed up in two words: economy and recycling. Indeed, the car whose cabin design results from a folding game – a process similar to that of the Citroën FAF (photo opposite) – rests on a Beetle chassis. But with a subtlety of size, it has been reversed, that is, the engine is located under the passenger compartment and thus drives the front wheels. An architecture which then leaves all the latitude necessary to free up, at the rear, as much space as possible for loading. The latter cashed without flinching up to one ton or even almost 1.3 tons on some versions. A truly exceptional value for a utility whose format was very compact: 4.06 m.
The technical sheet indicates the presence of an air-cooled engine with a displacement of 1600 cm.3 whose power could reach 50 hp associated with a four-speed manual gearbox. The top speed of the Volkswagen Basis-Transporter was around 80 km / h.
Manufacture on site or in take-out kit
Between 1976 and 1978, Volkswagen produced in Hanover, Germany, 2 600 demountable kits which were then exported to Indonesia, Turkey or Pakistan. While from 1977 to 1979, the vehicle was simultaneously assembled in the factory in Puebla, Mexico. A production of 3,600 units, destined for the local market under the name Volkswagen Hormiga, which means “ant”, without possible confusion with the Volkswagen Polo which, at the time, was not marketed in this country. The Basis-Transporter also received other nicknames like “Trakbayan” in the Philippines, the equivalent of a campaign truck or “Mitra” in Indonesia which can mean “partner”.
Finally, there was also a small production (200 copies) under license, in Finland, with the name Teijo. Most of the vehicles were sent to Africa as part of humanitarian aid. Today, the Volkswagen Basis-Transporter has become a rare model.
