By the late 1960’s, the car-buying climate was changing. As people had more money and bigger families, they were looking to buy bigger cars. Cars like the Beetle and other smaller hatchbacks were being bought mostly by younger buyers. While the best-selling Type 3 was bigger than the Beetle, it was more popular with younger families, while older buyers, who had more money to spend, were choosing to buy larger cars from Mercedes, Audi, BMW, and others, so Volkswagen decided that they would throw their hat into the new ‘mid-size’ saloon game.
The car that would lead Volkswagen into this new class would be named the Type 4. It was first conceptualised in the mid-60’s and was designed by Heinrich Nordhoff. The 411, the first-generation Type 4, would be shown at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. The car retained the ubiquitous air-cooled VW engine, but what was interesting was that the engine was still placed in the rear, which was unusual for cars in this class. At launch, the car was available as either a saloon or an estate, both available as 2-door or 4-door cars.
The 411 began sales in 1968, when it was initially offered with scarcer options, but in 1969, the car was upgraded, with fuel injection instead of carburettors and larger headlights. The car was a sales success, with people realising that the car was a more affordable option than many of the other saloon options. The 412, the second-generation Type 4, was launched in 1972 and sold until 1974, when the type 4 ended production.
The Type 4 ended production as a sales success. While many of its rivals sold in better numbers, Volkswagen still sold nearly 400,000 cars over a six-year production period. It was well-designed and loved by people across the world. It was also the last air-cooled Volkswagen to be sold worldwide (The Brasilia only sold in Brazil), so it marked the end of a legendary and lucrative era for Volkswagen.
The Type 4 was a different type of Volkswagen. It wasn’t a hatchback; it wasn’t a van, and it wasn’t a sports car. As a car, it represented something new from Volkswagen, at a time when they were simply making cars designed years ago. It represented the first of many steps that Volkswagen would take into a new era, with the launches of cars like the Golf and the Passat. The Passat would succeed the Type 3 and the Type 4, and it continues to sell in large numbers to this day.
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