Electric Volkswagen Type 20 Microbus concept ties the past to the futureElectric Volkswagen Type 20 Microbus concept ties the past to the future

Given the enthusiastic reception lavished on Volkswagen’s production-bound ID Buzz concept—that’s the 2022 revival of the Microbus, in all-electric form—the automaker’s transformation can’t come soon enough.
So today as part of the dedication of a Silicon Valley facility focused on the future, Volkswagen decided to reach back once again to what some may see as an iconic foundation piece for the brand in the U.S.—the 1962 Type 2 11-window Microbus. 
Of course, there’s a twist. This ‘62 Bus is called the Type 20 concept and loaded with some future tech that looks deeper into the 21st century. 
One example installed in the vehicle is a Conversational Digital Assistant, with directional microphones covering three zones within the vehicle and harnessing speech capabilities that were already developed within the Volkswagen Group, adding a natural-language agent. The voice system gives confirmation via exterior lights to commands given from outside. 
Access to the vehicle is granted via biometric identification, including a real-time facial recognition system with a wide-angle camera on the driver’s side second window. 
There’s an infotainment system in the vehicle, and it’s gone holographic, with a Looking Glass II display integrated into the dash and, VW claims, permitting 3D images without a requirement for special eyewear.  
While VW has teased the flexibility and niche potential of its modular electric platform (MEB), the Type 20 isn’t quite on board with that memo. It’s been converted to a fully electric vehicle (by California’s Electric GT), and with specs that speak more of an old-style EV conversion: a 10-kwh battery pack, a 2.5-kw onboard charger, and a motor system making 120 horsepower and 173 lb-ft of torque. 
Volkswagen Type 20 Microbus conceptVolkswagen Type 20 Microbus conceptVolkswagen Type 20 Microbus concept
The Type 20 Concept is fitted with an active pneumatic suspension designed by Porsche, allowing it to rise for easier entry as the driver approaches. 
The concept reveal coincides with the renaming and expanded role for VW’s Innovation and Engineering Center in Belmont, California (formerly the Electronics Research Laboratory). VW has had a Silicon Valley presence for 20 years—represented in the concept’s name. 
“As we roll out the next generation of electric and autonomous vehicles, innovation will increasingly define who we are,” said Scott Keogh, the president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. 
Although off the map of global auto-show reveals, consider this concept an indication of some smart moves to come in embracing the past but jumping ahead to the future. 

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