Volkswagen EA489 Basistransporter

The Volkswagen EA489 Basistransporter is a small front-wheel drive platform truck with a front-mounted Volkswagen air-cooled engine, created by Volkswagen AG and about the size of a modern Polo. It is one of the rarest Volkswagens because it was never sold in a developed market. It was built from 1976 to 1978, with 2,600 units produced as completely knocked down kits in Hanover, Germany, and a further 3,600 in Puebla, Mexico, from 1977 to 1979, where it was called the Hormiga. It was meant to compete with basic utility vehicles from Ford and GM aimed at East Asia and to open markets there and in Africa. Local versions included the Philippine Trakbayan, the Indonesian Mitra and the Turkish EA489, and the Wihuri Group in Finland built the related Teijo. It has a 1,584 cc air-cooled flat-four of 33 kW, a ladder frame and a payload of 1,000 kg.