By Tray Wetherell
Editor-In-Chief
Known as a hippy icon in the world of automobiles, the Volkswagen microbus is getting a makeover and being reintroduced to the joy of baby boomers and future hippies everywhere. With a modern twist the concept car was rolled out at the Geneva auto show this week to cheers and curious looks. Two tone with swooped, glossy lines the new microbus or “bulli” as it’s known in Germany keeps some of the lines and looks that made the first microbus such a stand out on highways and outdoor concerts.
Being completely redone, the concept of the bulli features an electric engine that can go about 185 miles on a single battery charge and up to 87 miles per hour. The interior features the three person seat bench of the classic microbus, but its stereo entertainment, climate and other system is run on a detachable iPad interface.
The Volkswagen microbus was first released to the public in 1950, well before the counter-culture revolution. It was a work horse and travel van for families and businesses throughout Europe and later in the United States. When the 1960’s counter-culture began to surge, hippies everywhere began to latch on the unusual looking van for its room, durability, and its stand out looks.
Later as time went on Volkswagen released several other models of the microbus but they never came close to the nostalgia of the original bulli. While a release date has not been set in stone, some sources say the new microbus could be out sometime in 2013.
