Volkswagen has taken the wraps off its Budd-e microbus concept at the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 at Las Vegas. The bus is a modern interpretation on the original type-2 microbus that was popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
This microbus concept car gets a new fascia with a large VW grille and projector headlamps. The fog lamps have been replaced by LED light guides. The side profile looks to have many of the lines of the original bus but now in a modern form. Moving over to the rear we can see, the same tail lamps from the Golf. It gets roof mounted solar panels, digital ORVMs and a set storage boxes that pop out of the rear bumper.
Staying true to the original flower power machine of the hippe era, the cabin retains a lot of the original design features but brought up to the technology of the 21st century. Step in and you are greeted by a massive curved display which comprises three individual screens. The rear seat is a wraparound while the front passenger seat can swivel around to face the back.
All (and I mean every single one of them save for the actual driving) functions are controlled through gesture or touch. Just to up the ante, there is voice recognition which is intuitive to the extent of being able to recognise different commands from different voices.
All this awesomeness is underpinned by the German automaker’s new Modular Electric Platform which by the look of things is the same as the MQB platform but specifically hybrid and electric vehicles. It is powered by a 101 Kwh battery mated to an electric motor on each axle. This setup will allow the car to travel 373 miles on a single charge.
A modern take on a classic icon, we hope that this becomes a production model and achieves the legendary success that its predecessor had during its heyday.
