Don't hold your breath. They've had prototypes of that bus around since the early 2000s.
Yeah, I've been watching them since they were just a headline. They finally have a few driving around down here so it's finally at some stage beyond prototype. It's slated for production in 2022 but it wouldn't really matter to me if it wasn't until 2032--I've got a 2015 SEL wagon that I'm perfectly happy driving. I was just saying that's my next vehicle.
I hope it gets dialed back from what's showing on the website. I don't want an iPad console. I'd much prefer analog dials and switches. Even though they wear over time I think tactile feedback is important in a vehicle. Realistically, though, it'll be voice controlled and touch won't factor into it much--but I'd prefer tactile. It's taken me years to trust the backup camera and I'll never trust a lane indicator.
I had an eGolf for three years. This dieselgate perfect storm was an interesting point in my life. I can't really think of another situation like it short of the BMWs that I owned as "old" used cars that exploded in popularity and price before I sold them all. I had been driving my '98 forever and finally treated myself to a 2012 wagon. Then dieselgate hit, the car was hit a couple times in between the time they announced the settlement process and our turn-in appointment, so we got a couple nice settlements along with VW's payout. VW gave that loyalty discount to us and we leased an eGolf for three years with nothing but my signature on a page and $199 dollars per month.
The fuel savings alone justified that lease and we had the added benefit of solar panels. It didn't have the range to get us out of the desert on a single charge, had a slow charger, and the residual was high so we just gave that back but it was an awesome car. It was definitely a MK7 Golf with an electric drivetrain--just an absolute blast and pleasure to drive.
By then the buy-backs were becoming available and I found my '15 wagon for $12K I think and my wife's '13 Treg Exec for $16K so those two will hold the family for a good long while. So I feel pretty solid and everyone's happy and I'm not in any rush to get out of my TDIs.
