Volkswagen vehicles have integrated into certain cultures so much that you immediately associate a vehicle with a specific type of person. This the case with the automaker’s hippie-era minibus, which has now been reimagined as an electric microbus, revealed during the Detroit Auto Show.
In a somewhat strange move, the company decided to unveil the iconic vehicle at the North American Internationa Auto Show as a new electric microbus concept titled the I.D. Buzz. It’s unclear at this point whether or not the company is serious about bringing back the iconic van to markets or if it’s marketing move meant to play on the nostalgia of an older generation, as a way to tempted to purchase the new generation of autonomous, electric vehicles.
VW’s division chief Herbert Diess stated that the electric microbus is part of the company’s strategy to sell more electric cars by 2020, and deliver more than 1 million vehicles with zero-emissions annually by 2025. The company’s offering will consist in over 30 different models of electric cars, some based on existing models.
It’s very likely that we will see an electric minivan after 2020, despite that VW previously showcased other redesigns of its iconic 1960’s minivan. For example, a conventionally-fueled and still retro-looking concept was revealed in 2001, followed by the Bulli 10 years later, which was battery-powered. Most recently, during CES 2016, VW revealed the Budd-E. All these teasers make it hard to take the electric microbus concept as a serious production vehicle.
However, until that point, the newly revealed electric microbus I.D. Buzz has some interesting features. The automaker claims that it has a range of up 270 miles on a single charge, meaning that it can offer the same range as a current Tesla vehicle. Furthermore, during the reveal of the concept, VW stated that this will be the first fully autonomous minivan.
The electric microbus is able to accelerate to 60 miles per hour. in under five seconds and it’s capable of reaching a max speed of 99 miles per hour. The vehicle benefits from having the batteries built into the floor which creates a low center of gravity and thus provides an increased stability.
What do you think about the company’s iconic vehicle?
Image credit: VW