The legendary Volkswagen Campervan is making a comeback – and this time it will be electric and have sports car acceleration.
Potential customers wrote to the German car giant begging them to turn the concept unveiled in January into reality.
And VW has now announced the hippy and surfers’ favourite will be making a return to the roads by 2022.
The all-electric four-door vehicle – dubbed the I.D. Buzz – will be a modern interpretation of the original model and feature near-zero body overhang, 22-inch wheels and two-tone paint.
It will seat eight people and hold up to 162.5 cubic feet of goods when the seats are folded or removed. There’s also a front boot, just like the original Beetle.
The original VW Microbus, better-known to Brits as the camper, had just 30bhp in the 1950s.
It continues to be a super-desirable vehicle in the UK, with car parks at British beaches filled with them throughout the year. The most sought-after models now sell for in excess of £100,000.
The I.D. Buzz will have more than ten times the power of the original camper and be capable of 0-60mph in just five seconds.
It will be capable of almost 300 miles between electricity charges and Volkswagen says the battery can be charged 80 per cent in 30 minutes.
Dr Herbert Diess, Volkswagen CEO, said: “After the presentations at the global motor shows in Detroit and Geneva, we received a large number of letters and emails from customers who said, ‘please build this car’.
“The Microbus has long been part of the California lifestyle. Now we’re bringing it back by reinventing it as an electric vehicle.”
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