German car manufacturing firm Volkswagen has delighted their customers by publicly announcing its plans to reincarnate its famous microbus! The iconic VW microbus which became a symbol of hippie counterculture in the 60's was in production from 1950-1980.
Volkswagen's CEO Dr. Herbert Diess informed attendees at an event in California that the automotive giants had decided to bring back the VW after being inundated with requests from customers 'begging' them to bring back into production.
The new VW has been entitled the I.D. BUZZ concept car and Volkswagen's charismatic CEO confirmed it will be an electric vehicle. He stated that the new microbus will go into production now and will debut at dealerships in the US, China and Europe in 2022.
Diess said the microbus was part of Californian folklore and he firmly believes that the new I.D BUZZ concept version of the VW can be just as popular as the original. He added that his decision to make the announcement in California was deliberate. He said, "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'. The Microbus has long been part of the California lifestyle - and now we're bringing it back by reinventing it as an electric vehicle."
It has been reported that new production model will feature all of the benefits of electric drive components, which include a long wheelbase and lots of interior space. A motoring reviewer has claimed that like Tesla's Model X the new microbus has doors that open and close automatically. It also possesses the speed to match rivals, reaching 0-60 acceleration in just under 5 seconds. In addition to this, its battery pack has a range of around 270 miles which is on par with the Model X and the Chevy Bolt.
Volkswagen's CEO of Commercial Vehicles, Dr. Eckhard Scholz added that the I.D. BUZZ microbus was specifically designed to be a 'multiple purpose vehicle' - and said they have plans to introduce a CARGO version of the microbus. He said: "Along with a minibus version, we'll also be offering an I.D. BUZZ CARGO variant for zero-emissions delivery of goods. With Level 3 autonomous capability, this is an ideal concept for an electric van, particularly for delivering packages and goods to the inner cities."
He added that the new version of this classic VW will retain its classic style and nostalgia, but it will also incorporate tech trends and musts for a modern-day vehicle like interactive connectivity, multi-variable seating and automated driving. However, it's sure to be the 'hippie's choice' for the forthcoming electric car revolution.