Volkswagen Iltis
| Volkswagen Iltis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen |
| Production | 1978–1988 9,547 built 8,800 for German forces 747 other |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Military vehicle |
| Body style | Various, mostly cabriolet |
| Layout | Front engine, four wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | VW Type 181 |
The Volkswagen Type 183, more commonly known as the Iltis (German for polecat), is a military vehicle built by Volkswagen for use by the German military. Also the Iltis was built under licence in Canada by Bombardier for 2,500 vehicles for the Canadian Forces and 2,673 vehicles for the Belgian Army. The Canadian production ran from 1984 to 1988 during which time a small number of vehicles were also delivered to Cameroon and Oman. Although the two vehicles were briefly offered simultaneously, the Type 183 effectively replaced the Type 181.
The German military had been part of a cooperative effort, beginning in the late 1960s, to create what was dubbed the "Europa Jeep", an amphibious four wheel drive vehicle that could replace the small all-terrain transport vehicles being used by several of the participating governments. With development taking longer than expected, the German military requested that something inexpensive be built in small quantities to fill their need for additional small transport vehicles while the Europa Jeep project was still undergoing design research. Volkswagen responded to the request, designing an updated version of their Kübelwagen and designating it the Type 181. But by 1976, the Europa Jeep project had fallen apart completely, the victim of skyrocketing costs and a difficult development. Needing a suitable four wheel drive vehicle to take over the spots that had been designated for the Europa Jeep, the German government issued requests to several manufacturers to design and build prototype vehicles to be considered for military use.
Prior to the advent of the Type 181, the German military had purchased several thousand vehicles of the Munga, a light jeep manufactured by DKW, but production of the Munga had ended in 1968. Volkswagen had then consolidated the former Auto Union marques into a single company, re-using the Audi name to designate vehicles manufactured by the company rather than continuing to manufacture vehicles under the names of the various brands that had made up the original Auto Union.
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