Is VW’s Future in Its Past?

AutomobilesDesign ThinkingElectric MobilityFuture VisionInnovation

Feb 18

With all the turmoil at Volkswagen, it remains to be seen what path the company will take moving forward. Despite decent vehicle sales against 2022’s headwinds, the company is rumored to be scrapping its current electric vehicle platform for an entirely new architecture. Fundamental leadership changes were recently announced at the CEO and Head of Design levels. Here’s hoping a new electric platform designed from the ground up and a bit of looking at successes from the past can help move the company forward.

Well, here is a suggestion. Take a long, hard look back at more of your heritage vehicles. Why not apply your next-generation electric platform to making new vehicles that resemble desirable models from yesteryear? There is really no need to contemporize with flashy “ID. Buzz” aesthetics and the like. Modernize the one we knew and loved with modern manufacturing techniques and designs that meet today’s safety standards. The company had some success doing this with the VW bug, and it had a good run. Why not start with the new electric platform and relaunch with this…an electric-powered version of a T3 Syncro in a crew-cab Doka Transporter configuration?

Focus on building a line of vehicles closer to what VW was once known for producing: honest, economical, straightforward, accessible cars for the people. Variants of one platform worked in the past. They could again if the design of the new EV platform is done with that in mind. Efficiencies of this approach are working well for Tesla with the Model 3 and Model Y. Need more convincing of the appeal of your heritage vehicles? This artifact from VW’s past recently sold for $51,000 on Bring A Trailer.

And pick up the pace if you can. The competition is moving fast. Modernizing your iconic 1970s VW bus took over 20 years of concepting.

2001 Microbus Concept (Arguably the best looking vehicle of all the VW Van Concepts)

The 2001 VW Microbus concept captures the ideal balance of nostalgia and forward-looking design, making it arguably the best of the VW van concepts. It retains the iconic rounded silhouette and friendly face of the classic Type 2 while integrating modern proportions, improved aerodynamics, and a purposeful interior layout that anticipates contemporary lifestyle needs. Thoughtful details—like flexible seating, generous glazing for visibility, and a clean, approachable graphic language—signal both heritage and future utility in a way later concepts seldom matched. Its clarity of intent and emotional resonance give it a timelessness that stands out among VW’s concept vans.

2011 Bulli Concept

2016 BUDD-e Concept

Both the 2011 Bulli concept and the 2016 BUDD-e concept for the VW van failed to reach market largely because they misaligned ambition with practical constraints: each showcased bold retro-futuristic styling, advanced electric drivetrains, and rich digital interiors that generated excitement but were prohibitively expensive and technically immature for mass production at the time. Volkswagen’s shifting corporate priorities after the emissions scandal, along with the high cost of developing novel battery platforms and infotainment ecosystems, made committing to niche concepts economically risky. Regulatory hurdles, supply-chain limits, and the need to achieve scale efficiencies for affordable pricing further undermined feasibility. Both concepts targeted a market segment that was still evolving—consumer acceptance of premium-priced, tech-heavy EV vans was limited—so Volkswagen opted to defer and reorient toward more conventional, scalable electric models and partnerships that better matched production realities. Finally, neither concept was able to chart a recognizable way forward for the marque while harkoning back to it heritage as successfully as the 2001 concept did.