Volkswagen held an event at the new Innovation and Engineering Center California in Belmont where it unveiled its Type 20 concept vehicle, which essentially a 1962 Microbus but inside is a lot of tech and instead of an engine, a battery pack and electric motor is in place. It sports a 10-kilowatt-hour battery, a 2,500-watt onboard charger and an electric motor that makes 120 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque.
The interior of the Type 20 concept has been outfitted with a touchscreen infotainment system found behind the wheel, which replaced the analog speedometer that's presumably damaged at this point. There's a hologram of the logo at the center of the dash, adding to the cool vibe of the interior.
To open the door, there's a convenient facial recognition feature. This means that the car will greet you by name as you approach, and it will also unlock the door. While the unlocking is techy, the mechanisms for opening and closing the doors are still rooted in the vehicle's past.
If a command is given from the outside of the car, the Type 20 will respond by lighting up the headlights and the VW logo on the front end. According to CNET, it can also respond to specific questions like, "Are you ready to go?," which is pretty cool.
Volkswagen also added some other aesthetically pleasing designs. The wheels (both steering and attached to rubber), are a joint venture between the automaker and Autodesk. The "generative design" marked by a weird orange spiderweb was designed by engineers that gives the AI a set of parameters (the side of the wheel, where the lug nuts go, how much weight it needs to support and other bits of engineering info related to propulsion) and let the system go to town.
The team apparently checked out about 200 designs and end up with two. One went to the front wheels and the other at the rear. Each has a purpose, specifically to withstand the impact that each wheel comes against. The outcome is a really cool combination of cutting-edge tech and old-school aesthetic. It's not a self-driving car, but this is the type of vehicle you can take if you really want to stand out.
Volkswagen will take the Type 20 to Monterey Car Week later this summer, but its main residence will be at the Innovation and Engineering Center California. The company aims to show employees and visitors that it's really possible to materialize such an odd concept for a car. And as if that's not enough, other prototype and historic cars will be featured with the Type 20 too.
