With the automatic came CV-jointed independent rear suspension (IRS), replacing the swing axle (also IRS) set-up.
The larger Volkswagen Type 4 was introduced in 1969 which had a similar mechanical layout with further engineering refinements.įor the 1968 model year, 1969 in the US, a three-speed fully automatic transaxle became available, noted for extremely low internal friction.
In 1968, the Type 3 'E' ( Einspritzung) became the first German automobile in series production with electronic fuel injection (Bosch D-Jetronic) as standard equipment. It also competed in the US with the Renault 8 which also offered a rear engine and rear drive sedan. The Type 3 was competing in the market with the Chevrolet Corvair that had been previously introduced in the United States in 1960, which incorporated a 6-cylinder rear-mounted air-cooled engine in notchback and station wagon body style, as well as a compact van derived from the platform. Volkswagen of America began importing the Type 3 in 1966 in the "Squareback" ('Variant' badges were not used in the US market) and "Fastback" but not the Notchback configurations. The Type 3 also featured wall-to-wall carpeting, and was available with air conditioning in the US. However, in other markets, including the German domestic market, the number of customers preferring the older Notchback shaped car was higher than foreseen, and in the end both Notchback and Fastback body shapes remained in production until July 1973. Volkswagen's intention was that this model should replace the Notchback, which is what happened in the UK market. The Fastback, or TL version, a fastback coupé, arrived in August 1965, at the same time the 1600 engine was introduced. Two convertibles based on the 1500 Notchback were also announced with the original models, but did not enter production. The station wagon/estate-bodied Variant (marketed as the Squareback in the US) followed, with the first cars produced in February 1962. Production of the Karmann Ghia 1500 (also known as the Type 34 Karmann Ghia) with a coupé body commenced in November 1961 and deliveries started in January 1962. Production began in August 1961, a month before launch, of the Volkswagen 1500 Notchback, encompassing three-box styling in a notchback saloon body. In 1961 VW announced the new line as the "VW 1500". Secrecy was such that even at the 1960 Geneva Auto Show, VW denied they were readying a new design.
VW finalized the design by 1959 with prototypes ready for testing by 1960. The Type 3 followed the Type 1 Beetle, utilizing a low-profile version of Volkswagen's rear-engined, 4-cylinder air-cooled engine, as well as body-on-chassis construction (the body bolts to a frame that includes the floor pan), retaining the same wheelbase – but featuring ponton (slab sided) styling, in contrast to the Type 1's articulated fenders and running boards. 6 Argentinian Dodge 1500-based Volkswagen 1500.The concept of the Type 3 was to be more of a family car than the Beetle, offering more passenger and luggage space and a larger engine.
The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's product range beyond the existing models – the Type 1 Beetle, Type 14 Karmann Ghia, Type 2 (Bus) – while retaining several of the Beetle's key engineering principles, notably the air-cooled rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and all-round torsion bar suspension on the same 2,400 mm (94.5 in) wheelbase. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later as the Volkswagen 1600, in three body styles: two-door Notchback, Fastback and Variant, the latter marketed as the 'Squareback' in the United States. The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car that was manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961 to 1973.