Photo: Bernhard Reichel
Herbert Diess now states that Volkswagen brought the Bus back to life with the ID. BUZZ because it was the most emotional vehicle the brand ever created. Beetle fans remind him every day that he may be mistaken, including in a recent Q&A session on Reddit. Diess did not rule out bringing the Bug back to life, which was enough for the rendering artist Bernhard Reichel to imagine what this car could be.
This time, Reichel did not have a prototype to get inspiration from, as he did when he revealed the final forms of the ID. BUZZ. A clean sheet of paper and some ideas are what we can see in his interpretation of what Volkswagen could create over the MEB. Ironically, the electric architecture is the one that can give us the truest modern version of the Beetle so far.
Just like the original, the electric Beetle would be RWD. It would not have a rear engine because that only made sense for the Porsche 911 and for the Bug and its siblings. The idea was to save space, something that an electric motor placed on the rear axle already accomplishes.
What Volkswagen would have to fix would be the frunk. The Beetle was possibly one of the first cars ever to have one, even before it was called that way. If the ID. Bug – or whatever the German automaker decided to call it – follows other MEB products, the space beneath the hood will be filled with mechanical components instead of the fuel tank that the Beetle had.
Reichel decided to give this new Bug a low and wide presence, with aggressive headlights that give those looking at it the impression that it is about to curse them. If it was an anime character, it would be preparing a strike with a complicated name.
There is a concern with aerodynamics that we can notice thanks to the flush door handles, but the electric Beetle would still have a low roof for the rear passengers. At least they would get exclusive doors to enter the rear seats, something that the Beetle never offered.
If Volkswagen ever decides to sell the Beetle again, it will be far from what the original car stood for. Instead of an affordable and simple vehicle to sell millions of units, we would have a nostalgic EV that would sell in the thousands because it would be too expensive for most people. This is the bullet Volkswagen dodged with the ID. BUZZ: apart from its retro design, it still promises to offer a lot of value for the money. That’s what made the Bug and the Bus popular decades ago, and that’s the formula Volkswagen aims to repeat.
Just like the original, the electric Beetle would be RWD. It would not have a rear engine because that only made sense for the Porsche 911 and for the Bug and its siblings. The idea was to save space, something that an electric motor placed on the rear axle already accomplishes.
What Volkswagen would have to fix would be the frunk. The Beetle was possibly one of the first cars ever to have one, even before it was called that way. If the ID. Bug – or whatever the German automaker decided to call it – follows other MEB products, the space beneath the hood will be filled with mechanical components instead of the fuel tank that the Beetle had.
Reichel decided to give this new Bug a low and wide presence, with aggressive headlights that give those looking at it the impression that it is about to curse them. If it was an anime character, it would be preparing a strike with a complicated name.
There is a concern with aerodynamics that we can notice thanks to the flush door handles, but the electric Beetle would still have a low roof for the rear passengers. At least they would get exclusive doors to enter the rear seats, something that the Beetle never offered.
If Volkswagen ever decides to sell the Beetle again, it will be far from what the original car stood for. Instead of an affordable and simple vehicle to sell millions of units, we would have a nostalgic EV that would sell in the thousands because it would be too expensive for most people. This is the bullet Volkswagen dodged with the ID. BUZZ: apart from its retro design, it still promises to offer a lot of value for the money. That’s what made the Bug and the Bus popular decades ago, and that’s the formula Volkswagen aims to repeat.
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