Here's the Next VW Van, Which America Still Does Not Get

Volkswagen's vans finally returned to the American market when the company launched the all-electric ID. Buzz, but most markets have been getting commercial vehicles from VW uninterrupted since 1950. Now, the flow of VW vans to America that ended with the Eurovan, but it has continued elsewhere as the Transporter for the past 20 years. That line continues with the seventh-generation Transporter teased in Europe on Friday.

The single image of the new van shows lines resembling the all-electric ID. Buzz brought to a more traditional van. A more typical engine bay hides behind the same cheery face as the EV, with a large Volkswagen logo and a smile-like shape integrated into the body under under the wide-set headlights. The look is still relatively retro, but this is more clearly a van designed for van tasks than one designed for nostalgia and charm. If the ID. Buzz is the New Beetle, this is the Mk. V Golf.

While Americans can choose only from a limited range of electric ID. Buzz options, Europeans can pick the EV, the Multivan, the new Transporter, and specialized options like the California campervan. If you're curious, the signature Transporter starts at just under 36,780 euros (about $40,000) for European customers. That makes the hauler one of many participants in a vibrant and confusing market for European vans, one with so many specialized needs that some companies will just sell you two front-wheel drive cabs welded together and let you figure out the rest yourself.

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