The VW bus is synonymous with Southern California surf culture – the original van-life vehicle that has a cult following among adventurers nostalgic for the good ol’ days road tripping and chasing waves.
But Volkswagen is ready to ride into the future, unveiling on Friday, June 2, its North American launch of the ID.Buzz, the all-electric version of the classic VW bus.
The gathering in Huntington Beach brought out hundreds of classic buses and fans, media and car enthusiasts, and marked an announcement for June 2 to officially become “International Volkswagen Bus Day.”
Earning the designation is no easy task.
National Calendar Day founder Marlo Anderson said they receive 25,000 applications each year, only accepting about 30 of them.
“It’s really a special honor to have this,” he said. “Life is about special moments and milestones, so we love to see all the ideas flow in. But when it comes to making it official, we’re always looking for the ones that will resonate most.”
The designation was accepted because the VW bus is “a piece of American history, a symbol of peace to many, a promise of fun and adventure for so many others,” Anderson said.
Pair that with the ID.Buzz unveiling and “we had a milestone that is genuinely worth celebrating,” he said.
Videos shown through the morning highlighted the rich history and strong following of one of the most beloved vehicles in history. Classic surfboards on display from the Surfing Heritage Culture Center in San Clemente were set up around the event.
“The VW bus reminds us to smile, relax and take life a little less seriously,” said Cameron Batten, senior VP and chief communications officer for Volkswagen Group of America.
The ID.Buzz was touted as the “modernized, electrified, future version,” and is already on the market in Europe. The unveiling was the first look at a new North American version – a larger model with a third-row seat and a VW symbol that lights up in the front.
It doesn’t hit the market here until next year and there was no price or eclectic range released.
Matt Degen, senior editor of Kelley Blue Book, said the platform will likely be similar to VW’s ID.4, the brand’s SUV electric vehicle.
“It’s a good platform, it drives well, it’s got good range,” Degen said. “I think making it into a bus is brilliant. It really brings VW into the electric era, in a big way. … I think this is going to be a vehicle people will have to love, just because of what it is.”
Decades ago, the buses were the cheap version of the first minivan, but these days they can cost big bucks. Buses more than half a century old and in need of plenty of repair can still fetch more than $10,000. Rare and restored vans can get $100,000.
VW buses – first created in 1950 by the German carmaker – were made until 2013, when Brazil shut down production.
Don Ramsey, founder of the Kowabunga Van Klan, helped organize hundreds of classic VW buses that lined the parking lot on display. He started the group about a decade ago, bringing the classic VW bus culture to Surf City for major events and holidays.
“It’s a perfect setting for it,” he said of the unveiling, just steps from the ocean and sand.
Ramsey reflected back to his own love for the VW bus, back when he got out of the Army and drove a 1966, 11-window bus on a surf trip in Mexico.
“I grew my hair out and moved back to Huntington Beach and always had a bus,” he said. “It’s always been a surfing vehicle for me.”
Already, he’s second on the list for the new electric version at McKenna Volkswagen Huntington Beach when it’s released next year. He guessing it will cost about $75,000.
“I think after you buy it, that first edition is going to go up,” he said. “It’s an investment.”
Thomas Schafter, Volkswagen group CEO, said there’s already ideas for future models, including ones that are self driving and a camper version.
VW bus enthusiasts Jan Engelhardt and Vera Sanders traveled from Germany just for the unveiling, making a beach vacation out of the occasion.
Engelhardt said he likes the larger version compared to the ones already on the streets in Germany, which have a two-year wait list and cost about $80,000.
“It’s a great show,” he said, of the event, marveling at the original buses on display.
The VW bus evokes an image of the American dream, the California lifestyle, he said.
“Surfing, the bus, the sun,” he said, “it’s fantastic.”
