New E-Microbus?

[Frank Lee]

VW unveils new model of microbus loved by hippies - Yahoo! News

[darcane]

Looks like it's short about 13 windows to be considered "hip".

[Bigswampthing]

HaHaHa! That looks exactly like my wifes Kia Soul with a weird extra windshield stuck on it! I dont get excited about new electric cars anymore. When they finally start selling them, they are all so overpriced that they make no sense to buy. I'd spend $20k on a really nice conversion before I spent $30 to $40k on a econo-box from some mainstream auto maker.

[gc-steve]

last line of the article ...

Volkswagen hasn't confirmed that the concept van will go into production.

[Bigswampthing]

I saw that. All the automakers do this to hype a product and measure industry and consumer interest. I speak from my experience with GM engineers and also following Nissan. They hype price and performance, and ultimately they fall short of expectations. Did any one else notice that the price of the cars seemed to inflate the exact amount of the federal tax break? The first car to really succeed on all fronts will be the one designed with simple and modular design. Much like the EV conversion kits you can buy for that VeeDub you have there. I'm a Volkswagen fan.....the "German engineering" company.....not the PC corporate public image company they are running now. When I see the Leaf or the Volt with 1000 pounds of climate controls, leather heated seats, Onstar, power every thing, navigation and bla bla bla, it drives me nuts. And give me a darn lithium battery pack already that doesn't cost more than the car!!! Hehe! I don't want to bash any company. I drive a Nissan and a Chevy. I built an electric VW too. I'm just a frustrated observer. VW may be the ones to finally do it. But ponder this.... my '84 Rabbit barely weighed 2000 pounds and my '89 VW weighed several hundred pounds more. Point being that good engineering is simple and elegant, not complex, heavy and expensive.