Photo: tedoradze.giorgi / nemojunglist / Instagram
Volkswagen is thinking about many things right now - from how to keep both the Old Continent and the Americas happy with its new line of fully electric ID. models, and still profit from PHEVs like the updated 2024 Touareg R or ICE vehicles like the refreshed 2024 Atlas mid-size crossover SUV, among others.
Not long now (Europe has until 2035, as it turns out, after all), and ICE vehicles will be a thing of the past just about everywhere. That makes automakers playing with gasoline or diesel models feel like dinosaurs on the brink of extinction. Sure, most of them still have a little bit of fight left in them, but it might help if they hedged all of their bets in the BEV and FCEV baskets.
Volkswagen - the parent group, not the namesake brand - is a particularly good example since we are dealing here with the biggest European automaker, from all sorts of different POVs. Following its 2015 emissions scandal, the company promised it would trigger a paradigm change within and the most obvious result of this new strategy was the road to electrification for its brands. And, just like the conventional versions fully utilized the modular MQB architecture, its full EVs would also need an overarching platform, aka the new MEB.
The “Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten” (which translates to ‘modular electric-drive toolkit’) is now used by mainstays like Audi, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen. As far as the latter brand is concerned, the consolidated architecture also has a commercial name, underpinning the fully electric ID. family of vehicles. So far, it is composed of the widely known (on the Old Continent) ID.3 compact hatchback, the ID.4 and ID.5 compact crossover SUVs, the China-born mid-size three-row ID.6 CUV, and the quirky yet adorable ID. Buzz (and Buzz Cargo) minivan.
While the numerals depict fresh models that were never seen before, the ID. Buzz is actually a modern EV take on the Volkswagen Type 2 – aka the Transporter, Kombi, or Microbus (T1). Colloquially labeled as the Bus (America), Camper (UK), or Bulli (Germany), the forward control light commercial vehicle was VW’s second-only vehicle and a parent of the (now on the brink of extinction) modern passenger minivan sector. But, at its core, it was ‘nothing’ but a reworked Type 1 derivative. And, as we all know, the latter was none other than the ultra-iconic Beetle (aka Kafer in Germany or Bug in the English-speaking parts of the world).
The legendary two-door rear-engine economy car is the so-called ‘people’s car’ that was created by Ferdinand Porsche and after the Second World War helped Volkswagen become the powerhouse that it is today - and owner of various brands like Audi, Bentley, Cupra, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, VW, Ducati, Navistar, MAN, Scania, VW Truck & Bus, plus countless subsidiaries. Its legendary original run lasted until 2003 with more than 21.5 million produced examples and led Volkswagen to create a couple of revivals, the New Beetle (1997-2010), and the A5 Beetle of the 2010s.
Unfortunately – at least for diehard Beetle fans – there is no more Type 1 derivative in production today, as Volkswagen seemingly moved on to new ideas. Alas, that does not mean enthusiasts have given up hope of a third reinvention. And, sometimes, some of them even take matters into their hands. Or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush, as is the case here with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. And there is no need to take our word for granted, as we have a couple of eloquent and recent examples that feature the same plot twist – aka an ID. Beetle electro-revival – but also have vastly different story outcomes.
So, here is first Giorgi Tedoradze, a Georgia-based industrial designer better known as tedoradze.giorgi on social media, who has dreamt of the 2024 Volkswagen ID. Beetle with the same iconic styling, an MEB-based fully electric powertrain, and four doors instead of just two – making it a retro-styled alternative to the compact ID.3 hatchback. Unfortunately, we only have a classic front three-quarters POV, so we cannot judge it solely based on that.
Secondly, meet David Scott Neal II, the Dallas, Texas-based Senior Industrial Designer at Modus Applied Innovations who is also a dedicated car pixel master from time to time, acting from the covers of the nemojunglist moniker on social media. He also thought about bringing back to life a reinvented ID. Beetle, much like Volkswagen did in the real world with the ID. Buzz, only that his vision is ‘a bit’ sportier than everyone else’s. As such, his extreme creation is definitely fit for the ‘R’ family, if you want our two cents on the matter!
Volkswagen - the parent group, not the namesake brand - is a particularly good example since we are dealing here with the biggest European automaker, from all sorts of different POVs. Following its 2015 emissions scandal, the company promised it would trigger a paradigm change within and the most obvious result of this new strategy was the road to electrification for its brands. And, just like the conventional versions fully utilized the modular MQB architecture, its full EVs would also need an overarching platform, aka the new MEB.
The “Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten” (which translates to ‘modular electric-drive toolkit’) is now used by mainstays like Audi, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen. As far as the latter brand is concerned, the consolidated architecture also has a commercial name, underpinning the fully electric ID. family of vehicles. So far, it is composed of the widely known (on the Old Continent) ID.3 compact hatchback, the ID.4 and ID.5 compact crossover SUVs, the China-born mid-size three-row ID.6 CUV, and the quirky yet adorable ID. Buzz (and Buzz Cargo) minivan.
While the numerals depict fresh models that were never seen before, the ID. Buzz is actually a modern EV take on the Volkswagen Type 2 – aka the Transporter, Kombi, or Microbus (T1). Colloquially labeled as the Bus (America), Camper (UK), or Bulli (Germany), the forward control light commercial vehicle was VW’s second-only vehicle and a parent of the (now on the brink of extinction) modern passenger minivan sector. But, at its core, it was ‘nothing’ but a reworked Type 1 derivative. And, as we all know, the latter was none other than the ultra-iconic Beetle (aka Kafer in Germany or Bug in the English-speaking parts of the world).
The legendary two-door rear-engine economy car is the so-called ‘people’s car’ that was created by Ferdinand Porsche and after the Second World War helped Volkswagen become the powerhouse that it is today - and owner of various brands like Audi, Bentley, Cupra, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, VW, Ducati, Navistar, MAN, Scania, VW Truck & Bus, plus countless subsidiaries. Its legendary original run lasted until 2003 with more than 21.5 million produced examples and led Volkswagen to create a couple of revivals, the New Beetle (1997-2010), and the A5 Beetle of the 2010s.
Unfortunately – at least for diehard Beetle fans – there is no more Type 1 derivative in production today, as Volkswagen seemingly moved on to new ideas. Alas, that does not mean enthusiasts have given up hope of a third reinvention. And, sometimes, some of them even take matters into their hands. Or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush, as is the case here with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. And there is no need to take our word for granted, as we have a couple of eloquent and recent examples that feature the same plot twist – aka an ID. Beetle electro-revival – but also have vastly different story outcomes.
So, here is first Giorgi Tedoradze, a Georgia-based industrial designer better known as tedoradze.giorgi on social media, who has dreamt of the 2024 Volkswagen ID. Beetle with the same iconic styling, an MEB-based fully electric powertrain, and four doors instead of just two – making it a retro-styled alternative to the compact ID.3 hatchback. Unfortunately, we only have a classic front three-quarters POV, so we cannot judge it solely based on that.
Secondly, meet David Scott Neal II, the Dallas, Texas-based Senior Industrial Designer at Modus Applied Innovations who is also a dedicated car pixel master from time to time, acting from the covers of the nemojunglist moniker on social media. He also thought about bringing back to life a reinvented ID. Beetle, much like Volkswagen did in the real world with the ID. Buzz, only that his vision is ‘a bit’ sportier than everyone else’s. As such, his extreme creation is definitely fit for the ‘R’ family, if you want our two cents on the matter!
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