The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car that was manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961 to 1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later as the Volkswagen 1600, in three body styles: two-door Notchback, Fastback and Variant, the latter marketed as the 'Squareback' in the United States.
The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's product range beyond the existing models – the Type 1 Beetle, Type 14 Karmann Ghia, Type 2 (Bus) – while retaining several of the Beetle's key engineering principles, notably the air-cooled rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and all-round torsion bar suspension on the same 2,400 mm (94.5 in) wheelbase. The concept of the Type 3 was to be more of a family car than the Beetle, offering more passenger and luggage space and a larger engine.