No retro gimmick 

The original VW-powered beach buggies from the 1960s and ’70s truly define automotive fun. They were properly cool, too – both Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley drove them, and thanks to a major toy company, you may well have wheeled a miniature version across the carpet as a child. Now, Volkswagen is bringing back the beach buggy with a one-off electric concept poised to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Built to demonstrate the versatility of a fully electric platform and, indeed, that EVs needn’t be soulless means of transport with which car buffs cannot emotionally connect, the MEB e-buggy concept encompasses all the energy and vibrancy of the originals, though in a thoroughly modern package. Ironically, the original beach buggies were based on the underpinnings of the Beetle, a model VW is set to discontinue in 2019 with no plans to replace. 

Photos: Volkswagen