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| This 'Surf Bus' shows the eight curved glass skylights so popular among collectors. The new Microbus doesn't feature these previously optional windows. |
After all, a minivan isn't at all as enticing as a curvy little coupe or convertible, thus sales could drop even further when the honeymoon period fades. Then again, the Eurovan is hardly a big seller as it is. It's not exactly like VW is sitting with Chrysler's enviable Caravan/Town & Country duo's market share, deliberating over a radical alteration of their best selling minivan. The Euro is cool, in a utilitarian subcultural way, and functional, in an extremely large way, but doesn't even enter the majority of van shopper's mindsets when they take off to the local Chrysler, Honda and Kia showrooms to strike a deal.
So to reframe the retro argument, how can VW lose? The Microbus could put the German automaker on the minivan consumer radar for a few years at least, at which time there would be a busload - excuse the pun - of happy Volkswagen van owners ready to upgrade to the next, slightly more contemporary version.
While not to digress from the longest intro in automotive journalism history, VW's Simi Valley, California designed Microbus is pretty cool, in a flower power cultish kind of way. To be fair though, unlike Ford's GT, Volkswagen's designers didn't just copy the old 1950s through '70s bus, the new Microbus concept is quite distinct. Volkswagen likes to say it pays "homage" to the original in "its own independent visionary way."