Volkswagen announced it is bringing the Microbus back and they hope to start selling it by 2022. However, this will be a much better version of the classic VW van, starting by the fact that it will be transformed into an electric vehicle.
Volkswagen is trying to regain the Americans’ love for their Microbus, after many letters from customers who asked the company to start producing the model again. They presented the modern Microbus model earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show, and it just brought in all the looks upon it. It is a bright reincarnation of the van they were selling between 1950 and 1980 in the United States.
VW’s North American CEO, Hinrich J. Woebcken, called the I.D. BUZZ “the perfect balance between emotion, usability, and sustainability, while also showcasing our technological leadership. The high seating position, cargo capacity, overall versatility and all-wheel drive option packaged into such an appealing design is just what our customers want from us. And it’s the perfect fit for the zero-emissions American lifestyle.”
VW’s electric Microbus promotes the #vanLife
The microbus still stands as one of the most recognizable models of the German Company. Today it makes you think about “hippier” days. With all these American retro vibes among young adults, Volkswagen decided to relaunch an improved and electric version of the microbus, promoting road trips in old-school vehicles under the under the hashtag #vanlife.
The company made the announcement at an annual car show in Pebble Beach, and it will be on the roads by 2022. It will be available in North America, Europe, and China.
“After the presentations at the global motor shows in Detroit and Geneva, we received a large number of letters and emails from customers who said, ‘please build this car,'” said Volkswagen brand CEO, Herbert Diess.
Volkswagen is ready to join the electric car revolution in a classic way
The vehicle is expected to have a semi-self-driving capability. It will have a spacious interior, and it is supposed to be bigger than the old and traditional version. The batteries and the electric motor will be underneath the floor, the company shared. It will be capable of reaching up to 300 miles of range per charge and charge about 80 percent of its energy capacity in 30 minutes using VW’s fast-charging system. The production of this vehicle is appealing to those who want a lot of passenger space and who also are into the retro microbuses.
It “looks like a compact commercial van on the outside, even though it offers the generous interior space of a large SUV,” Diess said.
Volkswagen will offer a commercial version of the vehicle that will be called the I.D. Buzz Cargo, which is aimed to compete with models such as the Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster. It is perfect for cities where emissions regulations are making internal-combustion-engined-vehicles more expensive to maintain.
Volkswagen hopes to gain the trust of consumers back with these new autonomous and electric vehicle, especially after their diesel emission scandal. Volkswagen also stated that their whole line would be electricity-powered starting in 2019.
Source: USA Today