Volkswagen is bringing the dune buggy back with a
new concept that runs purely on electric power. The new concept study will see
the light of day at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. As you can from the darkened
teasers, the study draws inspiration from the classic 1960s American buggies
that appeared first in California. These classic buggies were based on the
original Beetle chassis and VW is keen on making a connection with the new one,
which is underpinned by the company’s MEB architecture.
By using the MEB platform, VW is demonstrating the
modularity of its EV-specific architecture, which according to the company can
be used for not just large-scale series production models but for low-volume
niche vehicles as well. VW already sees the MEB kit as the spiritual successor
of the Beetle chassis.
After all, the Beetle chassis was used on a number
of recreational vehicles, one-offs and low-volume models for decades, including
special bodied models from Hebmüller and Rometsch and the aforementioned dune
buggies like the Meyers Manx. VW estimates that around 250,000 vehicles of this
type were built using a Beetle chassis.
We’ll see if VW’s plans are strictly conceptual to
keep the hype going for the MEB electric platform, or if the Dune Buggy leads
to a more consumer-friendly derivative in the near future
at the Geneva Motor Show that opens for the public on March 7, 2019.
