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Customer LoginsFarewell to Brazil's oldest vehicles
Brazil is waving goodbye to some of its oldest vehicles. Not because OEMs have decided to drop them or because customers were not going to the dealer network looking for them, but because all vehicles sold in Brazil beginning January 1, 2014 must have ABS and airbags. And some last-longing models simply cannot comply with the rules.
That is the case of the Volkswagen Kombi, known as the Transporter T2 in the country. Made in Brazil for the past 56 years, it was the first vehicle assembled by VW outside of Germany and the company's first model in Brazil. Between September 1957 and July 2013, 1,551,140 units were made in Brazil - between 1953 and 1957, it was just assembled there. In the 1970s, it was exported to more than 100 markets, but its age restricted it to the Brazilian market during the last several years.
The secret of its longevity was a combination of price and ease of maintenance. It has a starting MSRP of 46,740 Brazilian reais (US$21,000), and its rear 1.4-liter engine can be repaired by pretty much any mechanic in the country. The Kombi may have never reached the cool status that the Transporter had in other countries (chef Jamie Oliver talks about his on this video), but competition could never get closer to the Kombi in Brazil.
VW prepared a special edition to celebrate this successful vehicle. Called Last Edition (yes, in English), there will be 600 units made to remind us of the first ones. Painted in blue and white, it has curtains for example, and is more expensive than the normal model at almost US$38,000. If the Kombi's death is a done deal, a replacement for it is still to be announced but clearly opens the door for Chinese LCVs, which are more affordable than traditional brands in a segment where image matters less than value for the money.
Source: http://www.vw.com.br/pt/carros/Kombi.html
One of Kombi's competitors, the Fiat Fiorino, will also be replaced this year - its new generation will be Fiat's only launch in 2013. The current generation is based on the Uno from the 1980s and the hatchback will be terminated this year. Famous for its boxy shape, the Uno was launched in Brazil in 1984 and underwent only a major facelift in 2004. It survived the launch of the more modern Palio in 1996 and Fiat has made 3,756,388 Unos between 1984 and 2012.
An important vehicle in Brazil's history of the so-called "carros populares," those with a 1.0-liter engine, the Uno soon got the last name of Mille. For years it was the most affordable vehicle in Brazil until Chinese cars started to be imported, but many customers, especially companies, would rely on Fiat's dealer network and fleet sales which clearly did a good job of customer retention. Polk forecasts that in its last year, Mille's registrations will match the registrations of the new generation Unos.
Fiat is yet to confirm, but it is said that the vehicle will also get a special edition named Grazie Mille or thank you very much in Italian. Mille and Kombi, Brazil certainly thanks you for decades of service, but it is time to say goodbye.
Augusto Amorim is senior analyst, South American light vehicle production forecast, IHS Automotive
Posted 13 September 2013