VW gives its hippie-era microbus a revamp

Bloomberg

Volkswagen AG laid out a new design for a revived, battery-powered version of its iconic hippie-era Microbus as the carmaker seeks ways to move beyond its 16-month-old diesel emissions-cheating scandal and will overhaul its US lineup in a renewed comeback push.
The latest iteration of the van, a concept dubbed the I.D. Buzz, is part of the VW brand’s strategy to sell cars based on new electric-powering technology as of 2020 and deliver 1 million zero-emission vehicles annually by 2025, division chief Herbert Diess said Sunday in a statement. Groupwide, Volkswagen plans deliveries of as many as 3 million battery-powered cars a year by then, with the brand’s North American production of the models starting in 2021.
“We want to reignite America’s love for Volkswagen,” Diess said in a speech late Sunday in Detroit before the opening of the North American International Auto Show, where the I.D. Buzz will be on display. “We are determined to to become a relevant and profitable volume manufacturer in the US within the next ten years,” he said.
Rebuilding the VW marque’s shattered US reputation is one of the most difficult tasks the former BMW AG executive faces in his sweeping overhaul of Europe’s largest automaker’s biggest division. Following an ill-fated product strategy that misread American preferences for large, affordable cars, the brand was already struggling to become more than a niche player in the country when the emissions-test rigging came to light in September 2015.
VW, which ended most production of the original Microbus decades ago except for limited output in Brazil that stopped in 2013, has long been toying with ideas for bringing the model back. A retro-look, conventionally fueled concept in 2001 was followed by the battery-powered Bulli 10 years later and then by the Budd-E presented at the 2016 CES electronics trade show in Las Vegas. The I.D. Buzz is based on new technology that debuted at the Paris auto show last year with the I.D. hatchback concept, VW’s first model in the new electric line-up.
The I.D. Buzz can drive as far as 270 miles (430 kilometers) without recharging, accommodates as many as eight seats and has a function for fully autonomous driving, according to the carmaker. A retractable steering wheel folds into the dashboard when the autopilot is activated.
A more tangible vehicle for American buyers to be unveiled at the Detroit show is a new version of VW’s Tiguan sport utility vehicle with a longer wheelbase that’s set to reach showrooms later this year. The more spacious Tiguan follows the brand’s new $30,000 Atlas model, which marks VW’s first foray into the popular mid-size SUV segment in North America. The vehicle is built at VW’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, along with the Passat sedan.
VW will introduce two new US models every year going forward. 2018 “will be the year of the sedans. And in 2019, we will come with two more all-American SUVs,” Diess said. He said VW is considering adding variants of the Atlas to attract more customers. He said VW doesn’t have plans to start selling diesel cars in the US again, but wouldn’t rule out such a move forever for some of the brand’s larger models.
VW’s global deliveries rose 2.8 percent last year despite the diesel scandal to almost 6 million cars, fueled by demand in China, the company’s largest market. Increasing the brand’s presence in the US would be an important step to avoid becoming too reliant on deliveries in China, Diess said.