He sits there. Perched in his own space. In his own area. He overlooks everything. He sees anything that passes by and everyone around him but he says nothing. He never says anything. He’s good at saying nothing. He could probably go the rest of his life without saying a word if he had to. And that’s because he’s polite. That’s because he won’t comment on your horrific hair or your atrociously demode’ scarf. He’s like the Jack Reacher character. Stoic, self confident and silent. He has no emotions either and don’t be deceived by the perennial smirk on his face because his warm-hearted smile has nothing to show for and nothing to conceal. Either good or bad, you won’t know what he’s thinking as he sits there in his yoga posa, meditating. And waiting.
His name is Klaus and he’s difficult to find. Not because he’s hiding, he’s not that kind of guy, but simply because he’s yet to be born. He’s there but you won’t see him live for another couple of years. Unless you’re media. In which case you may have seen him at this or that car show. Klaus shall be with us in 2022, and he’ll bring a whole car with him. Actually, “around” him would be a more appropriate description. The car will be called I.D. Buzz and you can see it in the pictures.
Christian Senger, the man behind the machine (you may have heard of him, the BMW i3 and BMW i8 were his ideas), says the Buzz will cover 600 km between charges and reach 60 from standstill in five seconds. Which is good. The Buzz will be electrified by two electric units for a total of 370 hp.
It is basically a van, think of it as the modern and futuristic equivalent of the legendary Caravelle , which is why it can seat 8 people and looks like a box. One of the fundamental features of this concept car is that everything is flexible. Seating arrangements can be changed, the centre console can be moved and the steering wheel can be hidden and stored behind the dash when you don’t need it and there are no switches and buttons and knobs. It is essential and modern and it is much more than a concept car. It is a statement, a declaration of intent. This is VW openly saying that the diesel… thing is over. That was then, and this is now.
Prices are set to start at around $50,000.
words & photo credit: Ale Renesis
Los Angeles, November 2017 – Detroit, January 2018
previously published on Drive Tribe – Game Changers Tribe
_Flabbergasted LF 