75 years of Bulli and a solid result

Commercial vehicles 75 years of Bulli and a solid result

2025-03-31 From Bernd Maienschein | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

In 2025, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWN) celebrates the birthday of an icon: 75 years of Bulli. Last year, the Hanover-based company's revenue reached a solid 15.1 billion euros (approx. 163 billion USD). A model offensive provided the best offering in the brand's history.

Since 1950, the VW bus has been moving people and goods worldwide. This year, the Hanover-based company celebrates 75 years of Bulli.(Image: VWN) — Since 1950, the VW bus has been moving people and goods worldwide. This year, the Hanover-based company celebrates 75 years of Bulli.
(Image: VWN)

With the momentum from last year's model offensive, during which three world premieres were presented, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is entering the anniversary year 2025 for its Bulli. For 75 years, this all-round vehicle has been carrying "people and materials" around the world. Following the phase-out of the T6.1 last summer, the new Bulli trio consisting of the ID. Buzz, Multivan, and the new Transporter is now complete. The Transporter celebrated its world premiere in September at the IAA Transportation. By early March, 52,000 orders for the new Transporter and Caravelle have already been received, as reported by VWN. Thus, the new generation is building on the successes of its predecessors. The presentation of the new Transporter in September was already the third premiere in the past year.

We announced a model fireworks display for 2024 – and we delivered.

Carsten Intra, Chairman of the VWN Brand Management Board

According to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the Bulli is the longest-produced commercial vehicle in Europe. On March 8, 1950, the first Transporter—briefly called the T1—rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg. Since then, more than 12.5 million additional Bullis have followed, produced in Hanover-Stöcken (Germany) since 1956. "This makes it the most successful European commercial vehicle of all time. A cult for ages," says Carsten Intra.

From the T1 to the T6.1 of the sixth generation, a single platform always provided the basis for all derivatives – from the transporter to the camper icons. However, the era of e-mobility necessitated a transformation of the all-rounder and thus a paradigm shift: From "one Bulli for all" to "the right Bulli for everyone."

A new era

The current Multivan, a leisure and business van with an optional plug-in hybrid drive, marked the transition into the new era in 2021. It was followed in 2022 by the ID. Buzz, the first fully electric Bulli in mass production. 2025 now sees the launch of the new Transporter series as the third model range—the "workhorse" of the trio with more payload, more towing capacity, and more volume—as BEV, diesel, and hybrid versions. The current Bulli program thus consists of three pillars with six basic models: the Multivan and the identical California, the ID. Buzz and the commercial vehicle ID. Buzz Cargo, as well as the Transporter and the technically identical shuttle version Caravelle.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.