Will This be The Next Biggest Product From Volkswagen?
This Bulli concept—the moniker resurrects a popular German nickname for the T1 VW Bus—is supposedly a sequel to that earlier show van. Whereas the original and the 2001 concept were, you know, buses, this little tribute is a compact MPV with four hinged doors. The Bulli made its debut at the 2011 Geneva auto show.
It would perhaps more accurately be called a Nanobus, but Volkswagen design at least got the retro cues right without overdoing it. The concept bears the two-tone treatment so popular on the original, with red and white hues gathering at the front to form the V-shaped altar for one large VW logo. The lighting elements are LEDs to better match current VW design, and the chrome-hubcapped wheels get a futuristic turbine-fin treatment that alludes to the electric powertrain that spins the front wheels.
Two benches provide seating for six. The floor is flat, and the seats are reconfigurable: the rear seat can be stowed, and the whole mess can be rearranged to form a bed. Cargo capacity in six-passenger mode is 13 cubic feet, expandable to 57 behind the front seats.
The center of the dash is dominated by an iPad-as-media-center that controls a Fender produced sound system. VW has retained hard controls for the climate-control system, however. There’s a utilitarian cleanliness to the interior’s design, like a German interpretation of the Japan-only second-gen Nissan Cube cabin. Pull the iPad out, and the interior is practically ready for the assembly line.
The Bulli’s electric motor resides up front and is powered by a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that sits below the floor.
The electric motor produces 114 hp (85 kW) and 199 lb-ft of torque, and is capable of propelling the 3200-pound retromobile to 62 mph in 11.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 87 mph. The battery is said to provide a range of about 186 miles. But is this a successor to the classic VW Bus of the 1960’s?
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