VW - Repair and Service Redwood City - The Country Buggy is Australia's VW Thing - Bosch European Redwood City - (650) 368-3000

 

 

Love it or hate it, the Volkswagen Type 181, known in the U.S. as the Thing, is one of the automotive world's most distinctive vehicles. While the Thing is instantly recognizable, it also had a lesser-known Australian cousin called the Country Buggy.

Looking like an evolutionary offshoot of the Thing, the Country Buggy was originally designed as a military vehicle. To that end, it was designed for off-roading, with short overhangs to increase approach and departure angles, and a generous amount of ground clearance.

Power was provided by a stock Beetle flat-4 engine, which drove the rear wheels through the portal axles from an early Type 2 Microbus. The bodywork was flat-stamped steel, and Beetle headlights featured at the front. Unliked the Thing, the Country Buggy lacked doors, only getting vinyl curtains, plus soft-top or hard-top roof options.

Volkswagen Country Buggy

There's a reason you may not have heard of the Country Buggy. The final version wasn't suited for military applications, and by the time production started in 1968, the Type 181/Thing was already on sale. Most Australians who wanted a rugged VW opted for that; Country Buggy production totaled just 1,952 units, according to VW.

That's not the end of the Country Buggy story, though. Partially assembled kits were later shipped to the Philippines, and VW even sold Type 181 chassis with Country Buggy bodies in that country. In 1972, VW and other firms launched a modified version of the Country Buggy in the Philippines called Sakbayan—a Filipino portmanteau that translates to "people's car."

So while the Thing, Meyers Manx, and Baja Bugs are better known in the U.S., the Country Buggy remains an important part of VW off-roading history.

 source: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1132696_the-country-buggy-is-australia-s-vw-thing

 

by Stephen Edelstein
http://www.boscheuropean.com

 

 

Audi - Repair and Service Redwood City - Porsche exits Audi-led Artermis project to develop new EV on its own - Bosch European Redwood City - (650) 368-3000

  

 Porsche will no longer build an electric vehicle on the basis of the so-called Artemis Project technology platform spearheaded by fellow Volkswagen Group brand Audi.

Audi started the Artemis Project in 2020 with the aim of developing a platform designed for highly efficient EVs. Under the original plan, the platform was to spawn models for Audi, Bentley and Porsche under the Landjet code name, with the first of these due to be revealed in 2024 and on sale in 2025.

The Audi and Porsche models, plus the body shell for the Bentley, were to be built at a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' plant located in Hannover, Germany. However, Bertina Murkovic, a union head at VW Commercial Vehicles, said in December that Porsche planned to use a different platform for its model and will thus no longer build the model in Hannover.

Automobilwoche (subscription required) reported on Sunday that Porsche will pay VW Commercial Vehicles approximately 100 million euros ($113 million) in compensation for the lost production at the Hannover plant, and that Porsche will now build its model at its plant in Leipzig, Germany.

Electric Porsche Macan development

 

According to Automobilwoche's sources, Porsche ditched the Artemis Project because it didn't need the self-driving capabilities of the platform. Porsche's model is now expected to use the PPE modular EV platform that Porsche is also using for its electric Macan due in 2023, and should start sales in 2026.

It's possible the Porsche model is the three-row crossover reportedly shown to U.S. dealers last fall. The vehicle was described as having a distinct body style blending elements of a sedan and crossover, and with a flat rear. It's possible Porsche is planning a large wagon of some sort big enough to fit three rows of seats.

The Audi model is thought to be a replacement for the A8, while the Bentley model will be a new line for the brand and the first of its future EVs.

The news comes as Porsche celebrates its best year on record. The German performance marque delivered 301,915 vehicles in 2021, up 11% on the previous year. China was the biggest market for Porsche, accounting for almost one out of every three deliveries.

 source: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1134718_porsche-exits-audi-led-artermis-project-to-develop-new-ev-on-its-own

by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
http://www.boscheuropean.com