https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/19/vw-re-imagines-the-60s-microbus-with-this-new-all-electric-van.html

Decades after Volkswagen captured the spirit of the late '60s and early '70s with the iconic Microbus, the German automaker is hoping an updated, all-electric van will do the same thing. VW has announced it will build and sell the I.D. Buzz with the new electric van scheduled to hit showrooms in 2022. The announcement comes less than a year after the automaker first unveiled the I.D. Buzz as a concept vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show.

"After the presentations at the global motor shows in Detroit and Geneva, we received a large number of letters and emails from customers who said, 'please build this car'," Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said in Pebble Beach, California. Volkswagen announcing plans for the I.D. Buzz in California is fitting given the the long and storied history of the Microbus in the state. From surfer dudes in Southern California to hippies in Northern California, Volkswagen vans were synonymous with the state's culture in the 60's and 70's. Those days may provide plenty of motivation, but they are far from the reality Volkswagen faces today. Following the diesel scandal that cost the company billions of dollars and battered its reputation, VW brand sales in the U.S. have struggled to recover.