Volkswagen sparks up electric cars for CES

We don’t want to get you too excited but this could be the new Volkswagen Microbus. VW has been threatening for more than two decades to sidestep the traditional Transporter van and bring out a retro-styled MPV that pays homage to the classic “Splittie” Type 2 van of the 1950s, and this could be it.

It's a still-heavily-cloaked concept that will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January. Yes, while the rest of the motoring world converges for a traditional motor show in Detroit, VW plans to woo trend-setting tech heads at the CES, a strategy which has worked well for sister brand Audi in the past.

Revolutionary

There is no confirmation yet as to the exact style of the car and it’s quite possible that it could turn out to be a more US-friendly SUV or crossover concept but we do know that it’s both electric and potentially revolutionary in that respect. In the wake of the “dieselgate” saga, VW has promised to lean much more heavily on electric and hybrid car development and hot on the heels of the COP21 Paris climate accord, this could be a very good time for Volkswagen to be seen to be concentrating on battery cars.

The concept “marks the beginning of a new era of affordable long-distance electromobility and it will demonstrate the benefits to the customer that VW will be able to deliver in the near future . . .”