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Will America Ever Get A New VW Bus?

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Volkswagen I.D. Buzz Concept (6)This month at the North American International Auto Show, VW excited the crowd with its latest concept, the I.D. Buzz. This electric vehicle isn’t just any old van; its design is very clearly a tribute to the original VW Bus. According to editor Sam Huist, who made it up to Detroit this past weekend, some of the most intense crowds on the NAIAS show floor were surrounding this two-toned camper van instead some of the much faster and more powerful cars brought by other manufacturers. While we all pretty much love the VW Bus here at The News Wheel and dream of owning one to drive around the country,  we’re not holding our breath that this concept will ever make it into production.


Shiny and New: Take a look at another new VW vehicle, the Atlas SUV.


This is the second VW concept to evoke the classic VW Bus shape since I became the VW editor at The News Wheel in 2015. Before the I.D. Buzz, the BUDD-e concept debuted at last year’s International Consumer Electronics Show, with its Modular Electric Toolkit and cutting-edge infotainment systems. This latest concept definitely has great tech, but with a rear bench that converts to a bed and seats that are easily rearranged to fit several different configurations, it is clearly slightly more functional than its predecessor. Jalopnik is quick to point out that this is actually the fifth in a long line of VW Bus-ish concepts from Volkswagen to make appearances at auto shows. Some experts might say that so many concepts so close together with a similar shape might allude to a new VW Bus becoming a reality stateside, but I’m more inclined to think that this is a case of “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me five times, I really need to examine how much I trust other people.”

What’s even more frustrating for American consumers is that the VW Bus is, for all intents and purposes, on sale in other VW markets. In the UK, the California Camper Van is the basically a contemporary version of the retro bus with a more modern shape that is ready to take on music festivals and camping spots around the country. Hopefully executives bring some form of the revived bus back to America. Even if the production version is not 100% electric, like the I.D. Buzz, the nostalgia might go a long way towards reminding Americans why they fell in love with Volkswagen in the first place.


You Can Do It: Learn what VW has to do to win the global car brand race


News Source: Jalopnik