Volkswagen’s management is paying attention, and according to Autocar, has given top priority to transforming the Bulli concept into a worthy successor to the iconic Microbus of the 1960s.
A conventional powered version is believed to be produced at VW’s plant in Puebla, Mexico, where the third-generation Beetle is made using VW’s latest modular platform. That’s because the Microbus successor is actually much smaller than you’d think. Assembly could come as early as the 2014 model year, meaning we have about two years to go before a reveal.
“As a designer, I am convinced by this idea,” says group design chief Walter de’Silva. “We don’t have a space for another conventional MPV, but this one would be desirable on a different level, combining practicality with the heritage appeal.”
We’ll remind you that the concept vehicle made use of an 80 kW electric motor that gets its juice from a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery. The manufacturer says that the battery is powerful enough for a range of up to 300 km (185 miles) on a single charge. Volkswagen even claims that a complete charge of the battery takes less than an hour from special EV stations.
However, our money is on the production version getting frugal diesels in Europe and the usual 2.5-liter four-pot in the US.
We’re not exactly fans of the 2012 Passat styling, so if Volkswagen decides to make it a bit cuter, it will be on its way to receiving the autoevolution thumbs up.
Google News