other scources..
VWs didn't get produced until after WWII, by the british Army, that puts it around 1945.
http://www.classictruckshop.com/clubs/earlyburbs/history.htm
In 1933, while Dodge was preparing to sell wood bodied wagons to the army, Chevrolet began building an all steel version of the venerable canopy express for the National Guard and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Significantly, the bodies utilized a one piece steel roof, not the fabric covered insert then prevalent. There is evidence that the steel bodied Carryall-Suburban made its appearance for this Government sale, probably in '34. During '33 & '34, Chevy had a station wagon which was a typical "woody" on a car chassis. Bodies for these were supplied by Hercules, but by '37, the car based wagon was carrying a Campbell wood body and the name "Suburban."
http://chevrolet-suburban.info/history/
The Chevrolet Suburban is a large sport utility vehicle from Chevrolet. It is one of the longest-lived automobile nameplates in the United States, dating from 1935.
Many automotive companies in the United States used the "Suburban" name to indicate a windowed, station wagon type body on a commercial frame, including Dodge, Plymouth, Studebaker, Chevrolet, and GMC. With the end of production of the Dodge Town Wagon in 1966, only General Motors continued to manufacture a vehicle branded as a "Suburban", and they were awarded an exclusive trademark on the name in 1988. The Suburban is one of largest SUVs in market; it has three lines of seats and a normal-sized trunk behind them.
Chevrolet began production of its all steel "carryall-suburban" in 1935. GMC brought out its version in 1937. These vehicles were also know as the "Suburban Carryall" until rebranded simply as the "Suburban" in the 1980s with the arrival of the SUV craze.
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/c...ngest-running-nameplate-in-history-16650.html
As it turns 75 years of age, GM's Chevrolet Suburban has become the world's longest running nameplate, despite the fact that it is sold only in the US. What's more impressive is the Suburban has been in production for the last three quarters of a century without taking any breaks.
“Having been a part of our automotive landscape for three-quarters of a century, the Chevrolet Suburban embodies the traits that have come to define the American SUV,” Leslie Kendall, curator of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles said in a statement.
“Its longevity in the marketplace speaks to both the resourcefulness of the original design team and the good judgment of the decision makers at General Motors who knew better than to tamper with a winning idea.”
The Suburban was born way back in the early 1930s, as an all-steel wagon body mounted on a commercial chassis named Carryall (1935). Of
course, back then it was not an SUV, as the segment didn't even exist until the 1980s.
To celebrate the event, Chevrolet will launch a 75th Anniversary Diamond Edition Suburban this summer, in a limited run of 2,570 units (including 350 for Canada and other export markets).
lcoot:
