2014 Volkswagen Microbus
The 2014 Volkswagen Microbus could be a modern version of VW's iconic van. The Bulli Concept is shown. See pictures of the 2011 VW New Beetle.
Volkswagen finally seems ready to deliver a modern version of its iconic Microbus. The cute, space-efficient Bulli Concept hints at what’s in store, though we think the finished product might be scaled-up in both size and power.

What We Know About the 2014 Volkswagen Microbus

Attention, former hippies: Your new “love bus” is happening at last. Volkswagen all but said so at the March 2011 Geneva Auto Salon in Switzerland by unveiling a nostalgia-infused concept called Bulli, the nickname Germans gave to the original 1950-67 T1 (Transporter 1) van that America knew as the Microbus. “In this vehicle, Volkswagen is finishing what it started in 2001,” a company press release says. “Ten years ago, the vision of a new [T1] led to an unforgettable concept vehicle known as the Microbus. But some visions need to mature before they yield something new. Now, the time is right for this vision. That is because the concept was sharpened, and the necessary, sustainable technologies are now at hand.”

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That may not be an ironclad promise, but it seems a pretty strong statement of intent. That’s why we and other observers think VW will soon start selling the Bulli or something much like it. The new Bus should arrive in time for model-year 2014 as an addition to the line. It may not be called Bulli, however, and it could be somewhat larger than the Geneva concept, depending on what sales goals are set for it.

The 2001 Microbus study appeared at that year’s Detroit Auto Show and seemed to be designed for the American market as a retro-style companion for VW’s then-new New Beetle compact car. It was similar in size to VW’s contemporary EuroVan (last sold in the U.S. for 2003), with an internal-combustion engine and front-wheel drive, but a different architecture. According to Car and Driver, this Neo Bus was “a pet project of erstwhile VW CEO Ferdinand Piëch, [but] fell out of favor when Bernd Pischetsrieder took over as CEO and installed his own design head. Although the van had moved close to production--VW even had a plant in mind to build it--its lines did not fit the [new design chief’s] styling language, and the project was cancelled in 2006.” Then too, as Britain’s Top Gear notes, “the 2001 car was too big for Europe, so would have sold in the U.S. only and [VW] couldn’t make a sound business of it.”

Pischetsrieder didn’t last long as CEO, but Piëch remains chairman of Volkswagen Group, which he’s intent on making the world’s largest automaker by 2018, if not before. That and his penchant for getting what he wants help explain the Bulli Concept. Another likely factor is VW’s desire to further exploit its brand heritage a la New Beetle, especially in the States, where the T1 is still fondly remembered by many baby boomers and is considered cool by some of their kids and grandkids.

Updated by Don Sikora II 4.27.2011

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