Return of the Microbus? VW brings the Bulli Concept to the Geneva Motor Show.
If you remember the ‘60s, goes the old joke, you probably weren’t there during the height of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll years. And if you fondly remember the old Volkswagen Microbus, chances are you didn’t actually own one.
But there are plenty of folks who have been desperately hoping that the German maker will finally bring back the original minivan. They got some false hope going, back in 2001, when VW rolled out the Microbus Concept, all but promising to put it into production until someone in Wolfsburg glumly realized it couldn’t come close to meeting today’s much tougher crash standards.
So, enter the 2011 Volkswagen Bulli Concept. Call it retro-futuristic, if you wish, but though the look is decidedly more modern – and, we’re betting, more than up to the latest federal requirements – there’s no mistaking its DNA.
The prototype made a semi-official sneak preview Monday night, and will take its formal bow on the Volkswagen stand during the Geneva Motor Show.
A decidedly retro interior...with a modern twist, the iPad controlling everything from audio to HVAC and navi.
One of the ironies about People Car nostalgia is that many of the folks who most relish the memory of those old Beetles and Microbuses would be the ones least likely to drive those products today. They weren’t much better than tin cans in a crash and made no bones about spewing exhaust fumes.
Today’s Beetle is up to code, as it were, and should get even better when the retro Bug debuts later this year.
As for the Bulli, the concept bus packs what appears to be a huge lithium-ion battery pack (details to be determined), which VW officials claim can deliver a substantial 186 miles per charge. Considering the size of the bus, we estimate that would take somewhere north of 50 kilowatt-hours of batteries, more than twice what’s under the skin of the Nissan Leaf.
Yet VW also claims the Bulli’s power pack could be recharged in an hour. That obviously would require a Level III 440-volt charging system, of which there are only a handful operating, right now, though more are in the planning stage. Using a Level II system, at 220 volts, charging would take anywhere from 5 to perhaps 15 hours or more, depending on the amperage available.
With 113 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque, you’ll get a wild ride to 60 in just 11.5 seconds.
VW says it could swap the Bulli’s battery driveline for gas, diesel or hybrid, meanwhile.
Inside, the VW Bulli uses an iPad to control everything from its new Fender audio system — the new premium brand package debuting on a variety of the latest Volkswagen offerings — to navigation and climate control. The front bench seats are a decidedly retro touch, meanwhile.
As to production? Well, no one is saying for sure, but it would likely generate far more interest than the sluggish-selling Volkswagen Routan, the lamentable heir to the once-popular Microbus. In reality, it would likely take a minimum two to three years, at best, to bring the Bulli to market, but this time, VW seems to be taking a more cautious, wait-and-see approach.
Incidentally, the name, Bulli, is the familiar nickname Germans used for what we Americans used to call the Microbus.