v.w. importer ben pawns to sketch what would become the v.w. bus the engineering was based entirely on the still new beetle the only v.w. in production at the time. and that was what christoph continues and the outcome of 1948 i know ignored approve the construction of a utility van designed to carry a 750 kilogram payload based on the dependable v.w. beetle but it was not that easy nor cheap as it happened the beetle chassis tended to break up under a full load on the poor quality roads of the time often from. the beatles platform chassis wasn't strong enough to handle the one and a half tons of a fully loaded transporter so. gave the van a new ladder frame chassis with a unitized body but the axles engine and many other parts were still taken from the beetle it was 1950 and all they needed was the right name. why they continue to christophe explains that in germany the v.w. bus was known as the bully word combination from buzz and the german word lever of lock and or delivery van was unfortunately the name was already trademarked and other su