VW Campervan is making a comeback in 2022 as an all-electric hippy microbus

The VW Campervan is back.

Taking design leads from the I.D. Buzz concept vehicle shown at the Detroit Auto Show, the production model harks back to the more carefree hippy days of the VW Campervan, with a futuristic twist, and will launch in 2022.

“For me, the I.D. Buzz concept is the most beautiful and most exciting electric car in the world,” Dr Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management for Volkswagen said. “Our goal is clear: we want to make the fully electric, fully connected car a bestseller around the world. The iconic car of the electric age must be a Volkswagen.”

VW’s new campervan, officially known as a Microbus, is designed to resemble the Type 1 Microbus of the 1950s. Built with a similar two-tone style, Volkswagen said it has made a conscious effort to make sure its design straddles both the classic stylings of old while meeting the expectations of a modern all-electric vehicle. It still makes use of 22-inch wheels and near zero body overhangs, yet integrates new LED headlights that, according to the press release, can “communicate the vehicle’s status” – presumably doing more than simply becoming indicators.

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The new VW Bus sports a little more power than the original’s 30 horsepower engine. This time, thanks to each wheel being driven by an individual motor, the 2022 VW Campervan has 369 horsepower and is capable of 300 miles of estimated range thanks to its 111 kWh battery pack under the floor of the bus. It’s also designed to be capable of charging 80% of its battery in 30 minutes at 150 kW.

Just like its 1950s counterpart, the latest VW Bus can hold eight people comfortably and, thanks to the extra space afforded by being an electric car, can hold up to 162.5 cubic feet of cargo with seats folded or removed. It even has a front trunk if that doesn’t sound roomy enough for storage.

The big selling point of this new VW I.D. Buzz concept is the new fully automated “I.D. Pilot” mode. Set to go into production by 2025, the new VW campervan will come with some of these features as standard. This means a steering wheel that folds-away, an augmented-reality heads-up display unit and laser scanners that line the roof. It’s not quite clear if this will be as standard on the 2022 model campervans, but it’s something Volkswagen clearly wants to seem implemented.

This doubling down on a future of electric cars comes after the German automaker was hit with evidence that it had cheated emissions tests. The mistake has resulted in a costly $25 billion bill and a loss of consumer trust. Volkswagen hopes I. D. Buzz Concept can help turn that image around. “The I.D. Buzz stands for the new Volkswagen,” says Diess. “We are fully committed to the future of mobility, and we want to reignite America’s love for VW.”