Volkswagen is working on an electric successor to its iconic Microbus based on 2017's ID Buzz concept car. It's confirmed to reach the United States around 2022 and may even be built here.
However, concurrent with the development of the new electric van is development of a new generation of VW's popular Transporter series of vans sold overseas.
The sixth-generation Transporter, the T6, was just updated last year. It's been in production since 2015, though, and thus due for a redesign in the not too distant future.
2021 Volkswagen Transporter (T7) spy shots - Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
It should come as no surprise then that prototypes for a seventh-generation Transporter, the T7, are already out and about. Sadly, we're unlikely to see a local launch but elsewhere it should hit dealerships in 2021.
We expect the T7 to feature a longer wheelbase and a longer front overhang compared to the T6 generation. Meanwhile, evolutionary styling looks to be on the cards, with the new face expected to take inspiration from 2016's Budd-e Concept. Unlike the battery-electric Budd-e, the redesigned Transporter will come with plug-in hybrid and pure internal-combustion powertrain options. This will help differentiate the vehicle from the electric Microbus successor.
VW's Transporter series is actually the direct successor of the Microbus, with the original T1 generation first sold here as the Bus. While VW plans to offer both the modern T7 model and electric Microbus successor in its lineup this time, some of the automaker's other vans could dissappear. VW officials have hinted that the smaller Touran and Sharan minivans are likely to be phased out due to families preferring SUVs.
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