Kombi concept

[bigfoot]

Flower power to return with new Kombi



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The world's most famous van - Volkswagen's Kombi - gets a 21st-century makeover with a new compact camper concept.

The Volkswagen Kombi van adored by hippies, surfers and backpackers is set to be reborn.

German car maker Volkswagen has unveiled a new Kombi concept vehicle ahead of this week's 2011 Geneva motor show, saying the vehicle has the potential to become a modern-day icon.

The company disappointed the van's huge following when it decided against putting its last retro Kombi concept of 2001 into production, but says the new show car "is finishing what it started 10 years ago".

Advertisement: Story continues below "Some visions need to mature before they yield something new," says Volkswagen. "The concept was sharpened and the necessary, sustainable technologies are now at hand. [It is] more compact and more affordable than the earlier concept."

VW's new Kombi concept is only 3.99 metres long but accommodates six people - in two rows of three seats.

The design may make a big nod to the original hippie wagon with its two-tone bodywork, V-shaped front bumper and enlarged VW badge, but the drivetrain is far from retro.

The Kombi concept - called Bulli in deference to Germany's nickname for the van - is powered by an electric motor with 85kW of power and 270Nm of torque. Zero exhaust emissions should keep today's flower power generation more than happy.

The motor also powers the front wheels, unlike the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive 'T1' as the original Kombi was known internally.

Volkswagen says the 1450kg concept will travel 300km on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery and complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 11.5 seconds.

Alternative engines include VW's range of small-capacity petrol and diesel four-cylinders.

The Kombi concept is also another vehicle to take the car's integration of Apple technology a step further, with a removable iPad docked in the centre console to serve as a multi-functional touchscreen.

Volkswagen says it has endeavoured to make the concept as practical for its compact size as the original Kombi.

Cargo capacity is 1600 litres when the rear seat bench is stowed, while the front seat bench has a 60/40 split-fold function to allow for longer items to be stored alongside the driver.

Volkswagen says the Kombi can be turned into a weekend compact camper via the seating set-up that can be turned into a large reclining surface in a matter of moments.

[blutopless2]

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[Seano]

Given that this thing is not dissimilar size wise from the current Caddy Life (ie smaller than a Splitty!) I'm not sure it is really anything to get the vanners really interested...

From a translated press release somewhere:
"The new edition of the Bulli is 3.99 meters long, 1.75 meters wide and 1.70 meters high - making it the shortest of the vehicles minivan segment is one and slightly less than the original from 1950. The wheelbase of the new Bulli measures 2.62 meters, which, together with a large track width (front and rear 1.50 meters) is surprisingly a lot of space in the interior."

[velly_16v_cab]

i like it, looks modern