Finally, Volkswagen brings back the Microbus, with a battery

[demmiblue]

DETROIT, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) will show a production version of its long-awaited ID.Buzz, an electric reincarnation of its beloved Microbus or Kombi, on March 9 and plans to launch it in the United States in late 2023, the company said on Friday.

The ID.Buzz is one of "the most anticipated and most hyped" models anticipated from the Volkswagen brand since the company launched its new Beetle in the late 1990s, Scott Keogh, head of Volkswagen's North American operations said during a media call.

Volkswagen Chief Executive Herbert Diess tweeted on Thursday "The legend returns on 03/09/22!" The tweet contained a sketch of the profile of the ID.Buzz van.

Volkswagen has shown a series of prototypes for a new Microbus over the past decade. But those prior show vans - the Budd.E and the Bulli - never made it to production, to the frustration of fans of the vehicle.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/finally-volkswagen-brings-back-microbus-with-battery-2022-01-07/

[Disaffected]

1. Nice but.

the ID3 in NA would be better.

[underpants]

2. They used to basically run on organic matter.

[OnDoutside]

3. No shit ?

[sdfernando]

4. Its organic isn't it? /nt

[OnDoutside]

7. Indeed.

[sheshe2]

5. No wonder my husbands ran so well.

[underpants]

8. 😆

[Emile]

6. Nice! I had a 1966 split window bus back when I was a dirty hippie!

Wished I still had it, it's worth a small fortune today.

[mitch96]

9. "back when I was a dirty hippie!"... I still am✌️

[Emile]

11. I guess I am too.

[underpants]

10. I bought a 72 Beetle with my last Army check

I still hate that I sold it off because it wouldn’t pass state inspection and I had nowhere to store it.

[Emile]

12. I traded my 71 Super Beetle for the 66 bus. My girlfriend was pissed,

she loved the little beetle.

[justhanginon]

16. I too had a '71 Super Beetle. Loved it, bright red, had an aftermarket

exhaust with a stinger and a few other low cost mods. I used to autocross with it fairly successfully most of the summer for a couple of years. Still miss it but at 85 my reflexes are not what they used to be. Dammit!!!!

[Emile]

18. I wished my would had been red. Mine was an ugly light tan or light brown. I

think now that was one of the reasons I traded for the 66 rootbeer and white bus.

[TexasBushwhacker]

26. My cousin still has his Karmann Ghia convertible

He proposed to his wife in it. He still has her too.

[calguy]

14. I drove a 1963 bus for fifteen years

The only reason I got rid of it was because parts were getting so hard to get. Lots of fond memories on the road with my bus.

[Emile]

17. They were fun to drive. Sorta like driving an airplane. My 66

had a gas heater that would on occasion backfire and shoot flames at your feet. Defroster was terrible. I would go down the road with my window rolled down with my arm outside holding an ice scraper.

[calguy]

19. I didn't have to worry about speeding tickets

I had a 40 hp motor that I beefed up with oversized cylinder barrels. Even then, top speed was 58 mph. If I could sneak up behind a semi truck and catch his draft, I could get up to 65 and thought I was flying.
Those were the days.... lol

[Gore1FL]

13. I have a '74 Karmann Ghia in my garage.

It needs a new gas tank, and I can't get fire to the distributor. I was considering an electric conversion maybe some day.

[Emile]

15. Karmann Ghia's are in big demand! Here is

a site that might help in your restoration. https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/

[Gore1FL]

23. Thanks!

I would love to get it running again.

[hunter]

20. If it was true to the original it would have an 18 kilowatt (24 horsepower) motor...

... and cost a lot less than American cars.

The base model of the I.D. Buzz has a 150 kilowatt engine (200 horsepower) and costs around $40,000.

China makes some electric microbuses that are roughly equivalent to the original Volkswagens in terms of price, power, and comfort (and probably safety as well...) but these are not street legal here in the U.S.A..

My parents, who are artists and proto-hippies, drove Volkswagen vans when I was a kid. I took my driver's licence exam in one. Yep, clutch and a stick shift. The low powered engine made it a very easy car to stall.

[Generic Brad]

21. That prototype has been around a very long time

Is it finally going into production?

[Jerry2144]

22. I guess Men at Work need to update their song

Traveling in an electrified Kombi

[jmowreader]

24. Sorry guys, you'll never get the real Microbus experience in that

It's pretty, but you haven't lived until you've driven a car with the front wheel directly under your butt.

[NutmegYankee]

25. I miss my '77

[Zorro]

27. Had a 71

Part of the wheel well had rusted out under the driver's seat, so my pants legs would get soaked whenever I drove it in the rain.