Dear VW: This is not a fucking microbus

How many times to I need to repeat it, before you dudes figure it out? I want a hybrid fucking Microbus. This new van (Routan? WTF) is ugly as hell. Nevertheless, it’s actually in production and will be coming out, although it’s butt ugly.

VW Routan

Build a damn BUS. A hybrid friggin’ BUS. Build THIS:

VW Bus

As a hybrid. It’s really not that friggin’ hard to figure out.

I know I got excited about this spaceUp!Blue thing – and it wasn’t that terrible looking. I was mainly excited about anything resembling a microbus idea at all, plus it’s supposed to be a hybrid. But they’re not going to make it in the US.

vw_spaceup-blue

Actually, the closest they came to doing it right was the concept Bus that they came out with a few years ago (around 2003 or so)

vw_microbus_concept2

They scotched it due to “lack of interest.” I doubt that highly – I think it was a lack of interest in square friggin’ headlights. And a potential gas guzzler. Put some round headlights on there, and make it a HYBRID, and people will buy it.

ERRR. It’s not rocket surgery, people.

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. lisa

    DIESEL hybrid 🙂

  2. Steph Mineart

    oops – yes, Lisa, I overlooked that. Yes, I want a diesel hybrid fucking Microbus.

  3. Stephanie

    That’s a minivan. Minivan != microbus. Come on, VW, there’s room for both. I don’t want to camp around the country in a minivan!

  4. mike

    Yah. #1’s a minivan; #3 is the best-looking one. I kinda doubt if they’d even be able to get a true microbus-looking vehicle to market in the US anymore. Since there’s absolutely no front crumple zone on a microbus, it probably wouldn’t meet federal crash-worthiness standards these days.

  5. Steph Mineart

    Well, yes – that’s why the concept microbus was designed the way it was – the front end would be a necessary compromise; it wouldn’t be flat the way it was on the original bus due to the engine in the back. That’s a given, and not what I had an issue with.

    My issue is that it still could look very retro – with round headlights, the larger VW logo in the front, the v-shape, roof rack, half-moon wheels. Lots of little touches that made the old Microbus unique could be thrown in. I actually was set to buy the concept bus when they decided not to put it into production – they were serious about it for awhile and even had a release date in 2007 set that I was saving my pennies for.

    Regarding mini-van versus bus – the reasoning behind dumping the new bus concept was that people wouldn’t want a bigger, van-like vehicle. But then they went ahead and made one anyway, except with a crappy, American design. And they’re releasing the space!Up Blue in Europe and Asian countries, where it’s getting lots of attention, suggesting that a real microbus could be popular, if VW didn’t consistently misunderstand it’s audience, especially in America.

    Given that there are larger-than-average, fanatical American VW fan clubs for the Beetle and for all of their retro-designs (more so than many car clubs for American design cars) you’d think that would be clue to VW that retro looks are popular and pehaps would sell, if they stopped targeting the overly saturated luxury car markets and trying to compete with Mercedes, Lexus, BMW…

  6. Steph Mineart

    Well, yes – that’s why the concept microbus was designed the way it was – the front end would be a necessary compromise; it wouldn’t be flat the way it was on the original bus due to the engine in the back. That’s a given, and not what I had an issue with.

    My issue is that it still could look very retro – with round headlights, the larger VW logo in the front, the v-shape, roof rack, half-moon wheels. Lots of little touches that made the old Microbus unique could be thrown in. I actually was set to buy the concept bus when they decided not to put it into production – they were serious about it for awhile and even had a release date in 2007 set that I was saving my pennies for.

    Regarding mini-van versus bus – the reasoning behind dumping the new bus concept was that people wouldn’t want a bigger, van-like vehicle. But then they went ahead and made one anyway, except with a crappy, American design. And they’re releasing the space!Up Blue in Europe and Asian countries, where it’s getting lots of attention, suggesting that a real microbus could be popular, if VW didn’t consistently misunderstand it’s audience, especially in America.
    Given that there are larger-than-average, fanatical American VW fan clubs for the Beetle and for all of their retro-designs (more so than many car clubs for American design cars) you’d think that would be clue to VW that retro looks are popular and pehaps would sell, if they stopped targeting the overly saturated luxury car markets and trying to compete with Mercedes, Lexus, BMW…

  7. Rachel

    Yes! If it had the round headlights I would definitely buy it! I’m excited, hope it comes out.

  8. Vanessa

    Round headlights, and a fuel efficient Hybrid. Exactly what you said. Make it look like a MICROBUS… Otherwise, what’s the point!

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