Volkswagen Microbus is ready to be back, with a battery and self-driving tech

An all-electric iteration of the iconic Volkswagen Kombi has been making headlines for quite some time. Now, the German automaker has confirmed that it will unveil the electric reincarnation of the Microbus or Kombi on March 9 this year. Also, Volkswagen plans to launch the electric Microbus in the US market sometime in late 2023.

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess on Thursday tweeted saying "The legend returns on 03/09/22!" The tweet also contained a sketch of the profile of the ID.Buzz van.

The Volkswagen Microbus EV will be based on the ID.Buzz concept, which is one of the most talked-about electric concept cars from the brand. The launch of this reincarnated Volkswagen Microbus could be the next big launch from the brand of an iconic car from the past, something comparable to the Volkswagen Beetle's comeback in the late 1990s.

The German auto giant has shown a series of prototypes of the new Microbus over the past decade, christened as Budd.E and Bulli. However, they never made it to the production line. But the three-row ID. Buzz is the concept about which the automaker remained positive from the beginning. This shows a rebirth of the Microbus that became an icon of the counterculture movement. It comes with a pure electric powertrain and Level 4 self-driving technology along with other modern elements blending with core iconic design.

Volkswagen said that it will produce three different variants of the car. One will be meant for personal buyers, another will be for ride-hailing, and there will be a cargo variant as well. Volkswagen also said that besides a three-row variant, it will launch a two-row version as well.

The news comes just a few days after English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran said that he would love to go for his European music tour in a Volkswagen Campervan. The automaker too initially said that it would love to collaborate with the famous singer.