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Volkswagen Beach Buggy concept revealed at Geneva

Lithium-ion batteries, electric motors and salt water. What could possibly go wrong?

Instagram-addicted, vegan millennials rejoice, because Volkswagen has revealed a contemporary take on the original beach-bum VW Beach Buggy, finally a new cult hero for a generation of people who don’t remember a time before broadband internet. Although we’re not sure how they’ll feel about this VW tearing up fragile seaside ecosystems, albeit silently and with zero exhaust emissions.

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This is, of course, deadly serious for Volkswagen – if nothing else an explicit display of the variety of applications its new all-electric MEB platform might go on to underpin. But till the higher-volume I.D models begin to roll out later this year, VW’s intention is to keep the ‘Buzz’ surrounding its ambitious electrification plans.

> Click here for more on the upcoming Volkswagen I.D range

What else is visible, despite the dark computerised images, is the new Buggy’s clear link to its fibreglass forebear – although strictly speaking, VW never produced its own version, the original being a designed and built by Californian Bruce Meyers from 1964. There are no doors, side windows or roof, while the near-open wheels sit well clear of the ‘floating’ bodywork. Round headlights and the large contrasting roll-hoop complete the picture, but we’d be confident in saying it won’t have an air-cooled flat-four hanging off the end of the chassis.

VW has a habit of drawing on its past for concept cars, this following the I.D Buzz Concept – the latest rehash of a Volkswagen camper van – not to mention the never-ending saga of the Beetle, but as an exercise in connecting to its past the Beach Buggy concept seems a fun way of displaying its very serious new drivetrain technology.

To be revealed at this year’s Geneva motor show in March, as our march towards the affordable mass-market electric car continues it remains to be seen whether a new-age electric beach buggy will be part of the plan.

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