The VW camper is back! After years of speculation, Volkswagen has pulled the covers off the modern day successor to the classic Samba bus – only this time, it’s more compact and produces zero emissions.
Officially called the space up! Blue, it was unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The model is the third version of the German maker’s urban vision, and follows the original up! show car seen at the Frankfurt expo and the larger Space up! which made its debut in Tokyo earlier this year.
The latest concept has looked to the past for inspiration – just as we said it would in Issue 983. Adopting a more mature appearance to previous up! variants, this car has additional roof windows – a feature that made the original Samba bus so distinctive. The upright rear also shares the near-vertical tailgate of the classic model.
But there’s much more to the latest show-stopper than its retro theme. Under the skin it debuts what VW is calling “a powertrain revolution”. The concept has the world’s first high-temperature fuel cell – complete with 12 lithium-ion batteries.
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