Volkswagen is getting into the holiday spirit by
sending out Christmas cards that provide a glimpse of the company’s next
concept. The Christmas card shows Santa has
ditched his sleigh for a new beach buggy. This is notable as previous reports
have suggested Volkswagen is working on an electric beach buggy that draws
inspiration from the original Meyers Manx.
The teaser image is pretty dark, but we can see the
concept has a short hood and a rakish windscreen. The model also appears to
have a roll bar and curvaceous bodywork. Other highlights include
Beetle-inspired round taillights, meaty tires and a rear-mounted flag which is
used for identifying the car’s location on sands dunes.
Little is known about the beach buggy at this point,
but the concept is expected to ride on the company’s MEB platform. The car will
reportedly debut at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and could eventually reach
production as it is said to be under “active consideration.”
While its sounds odd that Volkswagen would consider
building an electric beach buggy, the automaker introduced the Buggy up!
concept in 2011. That particular model was based on the up! and also drew
inspiration from the Meyers Manx. A production model would likely
have limited appeal, but it could act as a halo vehicle that draws attention to
the brand and gets customers interested in more traditional ID models.
The ID Beach Buggy isn’t the only retro-inspired
vehicle under development as Volkswagen is also working on a production version
of the ID Buzz concept which is a modern take on the iconic Microbus. The
company is also said to be working on a five-door model inspired by the Beetle.
