But Will It Come in Day-Glo? VW Microbus Returns for 2005

Volkswagen has confirmed what long has been expected: It will build a Microbus based on the concept shown 18 months ago at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The new Microbus will be built in Germany, but about two-thirds of the annual production will be sent to the U.S.

Bernd Pischetsrieder, VW’s chief executive, said the company will concentrate on U.S. sales because the old Microbus, discontinued in 1992, was--and continues to be--a cult object in this country.

Of particular note, VW plans to build more the first year than in subsequent years--a reversal of the distressing trend in which first-year production of a potentially popular vehicle is kept so low that huge waiting lists develop and dealers, as well as private speculators, are able to demand thousands of dollars above the sticker price.

VW said first-year production of the Microbus, to be launched in 2005, will be about 120,000 units, with annual production dropping to about 80,000 units after that.

The auto maker launched the Microbus in 1950. Sales peaked at 67,000 units in 1970.

John O’Dell