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VW Dictionary
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0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

K70 Vehicle developed by NSU and sold as a Volkswagen from 1970-75.  First VW to have a front-mounted water-cooled engine and front wheel drive.

Kadrons A popular dual carburetor supplier for higher performance Volkswagens

Käfer German: "chafer" (beetle-like insect in the Scarabaeus family).  In Germany, this is the most common nickname for the Beetle Volkswagen sedan and convertible.

Kamei Aftermarket accessory maker, usually associated with spoilers or parcel trays.
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Karmann German coachbuilder employed by Volkswagen to build the Karmann-Ghia, the Type 34, and all 4-seater Beetle convertibles.  Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmann

Karmann Ghia Introduced in 1955 as the VW version of a sporty car, it was last produced in 1974. Over a period of 19 years 365,912 coupes and 79,326 convertibles were manufactured.
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Kastenwagen See Panelvan

KdF See Kraft durch Freude.

KdF-Wagen German: "Strength-through-Joy-Car". The original Beetle, Porsche Büro Project Number 60 - the "Type 60". The KdF-Wagen was manufactured in pilot production at various plants starting in 1938.  

Kever Dutch: "chafer" (beetle-like insect in the Scarabaeus family).  This is the most common nickname in Holland for the Beetle Volkswagen sedan and convertible.

Kewer Afrikaans name for the Beetle

Kick Panel Panel on VW Buses used to cover the bottom of the rear seat or the side of the middle seat.  Standard equipment on VW Standard Microbuses and Deluxes.  Also used to refer to the two 2 or more hardboard panels mounted underneath the dash board on a VW Bus.
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King Pin Larger portion of the front suspension arms on an early VW. (Pre-1967 Beetles and pre-1968 Buses in the USA)

Kit Car A term commonly used to describe a vehicle that is sold in parts with the notion that someone could complete it by assembling it in their garage or backyard with parts from a specific donor car. The Beetle was a popular choice for a donor car and kits based off of the Beetle include the Meyers Manx, Porsche Speedster replicas, and the Bradley GT. The term does carry some negative connotations due to the build quality that some cars receive. See Meyers Manx, or the following forum topic for some debate: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=342836

Klaippari In Finland, a common nickname for the Transporter

Klippan Original accessory seat belt manufacturer for VW and other automobiles.

Kleinbus See Standard aka Standard Microbus

Kombi Most often confused with a standard Microbus, the Kombi (model 23) is basically a Panel Bus with windows and seats. The Kombi (combination vehicle) has three windows down each side (in addition to the passenger/drivers doors) was painted in solid colors and was not fitted with any interior panels behind the front cabin area or any of the molding or trim found on a Deluxe Microbus.  A middle and rear seat were also fitted to the Kombi, but there were no other interior amenities in the cargo area. It could even be ordered with a sunroof!  The Kombi was used as the base model for Westfalia in the production of Campers (SO42 and SO44) as well as some Emergency vehicles.
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Kommandeurswagen German: "Commander's Car". The VW Type 87. A closed, liaison-type geländelimousin, built at the Volkswagenwerk during World War II. It was created by mating the KdF-Wagen sedan body, the Kübelwagen chassis, and the Schwimmwagen part-time (first gear only) four-wheel-drive system. This hybrid wound up looking like a muscular Beetle, and was delivered to the Wehrmacht in two versions: as a solid-roofed sedan, and a "Cabrio-Limousine" with a large sliding cloth sunroof. 
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Kostenurka The name of the Beetle in Bulgaria. Means "turtle" in Bulgarian language

Kotseng Kuba Tagalog: "Hunchback Car". A nickname used in the Philippines for the Beetle Volkswagen sedan and convertible.

KPH "Kilometers Per Hour" The ratio of the distance traveled (in kilometers) to the time spent traveling (in hours).

Kraft durch Freude (KdF) German: "Strength-through-Joy": A political organization, this unit of the German Labor Front (DAF), organized recreation, travel, sport, and leisure-time activities in pre-War Germany. KdF was ordered to sponsor the development of the Volksauto, or "People's Car" for the benefit of the average German worker, who could buy one on a five-Reich mark-per-week stamp-book layaway plan. About $67 million dollars (in hard-earned marks) was paid in to the fund, but not one car was ever delivered to a private citizen.  The money was seized by the invading Russians in 1945. Volkswagen AG honored the KdF stamp books for up to 600 DM credit on a new car, or 100 DM cash conversion, until 1961.

Krankenwagen See Ambulance

Kübel, Kübelsitz, Kübelsitzer German: "Bucket, Bucket-seat, Bucket-seater". These are all nicknames for the Kübelwagen.

Kubelwagen German for "Bucket Car", used to describe the Budd-built corrugated body panels of the German WWII "jeep" Later resurrected as the Thing.  A multi-purpose utility vehicle for light field transport, developed by the Porsche Büro under Dr. Ferdinand Porsche for the German Army. The Type 62 was the pre-production prototype and the Type 82 was the familiar open, four-seat vehicle delivered to the Wehrmacht. About 55,000 were built at the Volkswagenwerk between 1940 and 1945. The Type 82 Kübelwagen was based on a greatly reinforced KdF-Wagen chassis, with a body by coachbuilder Trutz of Gotha
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Kupla Finnish: "Bubble". In Finland, a nickname for the Beetle Volkswagen sedan and convertible, presumably referring to their rounded shapes. The "Bubble" nickname is common throughout Scandinavia.

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