New VW Kombi confirmed for production

First shown at the 2016 Consumer Electrics Show in Las Vegas, Volkswagen’s all-electric BUDD-e concept could be in production by 2020.

Built on VW’s ‘MEB’ modular electric platform the BUDD-e concept modernised the traditional VW Microbus look, and it is expected the production version will carry much of its design into production.

Talking to UK-based Car magazine, Volkswagen’s head of electronic development  Dr Volkmar Tanneberger revealed: “You will see a car that looks a lot like this, on the MEB platform, reach production. I can’t say exactly when, but 2020 or thereabouts.”

The Budd-e is powered by a 101kWh battery pack with two electric motors, one driving the front axle and one the rear. The van is said to achieve a top speed of almost 150km/h and it can travel approximately 595km on a single charge, though whether these figures become a production reality is yet to be determined.

Tanneberger added that the “basic idea is to develop a modular toolkit and take this flat battery idea into serial production, one motor in the front, one on the rear.”

Audi is also said to be keen on using the platform for future models, including a possible electric replacement for the A2.