Volkswagen fanatics can get really serious about their past cars. VW Bug people can talk VW Bugs like no other. Beach Buggy enthusiasts love their modified party bugs. But there is no more serious collector group than those who love the original Volkswagen Bus. The VW Bus has so many different names depending on where you were when it was collected. Internally it’s known as the Type 1 and Type 2 (depending on when it was made). Sale names included the Microbus, Kombi or Transporter depending on which version you were getting. But mostly it’s just called the VS Bus (Or VW Camper if you’re from the United Kingdom).
The Bus was never powerful. In 1971, the Type 2 came with an improved 50hp engine. Improving the engine to 50 hp in a vehicle that big should signify just how slow those vehicles were. It made driving the bus a slow and laborious process. The association of the bus with the hippy movement was of course central to its popularity. Many hippies traveled from town to town in a VW bus.
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When Volkswagen re-released their modern Beetle, it was mostly due to a huge boon of nostalgia. It’s not like they needed a compact car. The Golf was and is a high seller. The Beetle was intended to appeal to a different set of people. The cute nature was aimed at gentle souls and at people who had fond memories of their earlier Beetles. VW has continued to tease us with hints that maybe they could remake the bus as well. But will they ever do it?
The Most recent taunt is the creation of the VW I.D. Buzz Concept vehicle. Naming a vehicle the “Idea Bus” through other words and phrases is such a tease. The vehicle would make its previous hippy forefathers happy as it is a purely electric vehicle with a range reported by Volkswagen at about 270 miles. Of course it’s reported by Volkswagen, so perhaps take that with a grain of salt.
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The I.D. Buzz seats 8 in a very interesting configuration. The seats behind the drivers are autonomous and can swing in any direction, allowing people to have a more social experience in the rear seats during the drive.; To counter the large amount of weight with people potentially up high, the electric motors are below the passenger cabin. This keeps a reasonably low center of gravity to keep the vehicle drivable. Unlike the past VW Bus, the concept has almost 370 hp. Obviously when you’re talking power like that, you’re not going to be taking a minute to get up to highway speeds like the buses of yore did.
Volkswagen has made some concept buses in the past, but there’s actually some reason to hope that the I.D. Buzz may morph itself into a production model. The electric components are based off of Volkswagens coming EV lineup. This means that they’re already going to be producing a lot of the major components. It should be possible to convert into the bus architecture we all are hoping for.
This latest hope is one of the better ones, but it still might be a pipe dream. Volkswagen is well represented in their sport utility and van market and probably doesn’t see a need for a vehicle like this. However with it being fully electric, it may fill a niche that could allow the bus to live again! We can only hope!
