Volkswagen eT! – The Reinvention of The Delivery Vehicle?

For over 60 years now, commercial vehicles from Volkswagen have maintained a visual presence on the world’s streets. “They are helpers in everyday life, which bring us people, goods, services, postal deliveries and occasionally emergency assistance” say Volkswagen Group Research, Deutsche Post AG the University of Art at Braunschweig. Which interestingly is according to VW, responsible for the “world of tomorrow” quite a large task for an automotive manufacturer, a post office and some art students.

Anyway this triumvir of our utopian future decided amongst themselves that the most impending threat to human civilization was medium sized logistics, and thus formed a think tank on transport and mobility issues (we’re thinking VW probably held the pen during this session). Eventually these research activities led to a completely new vehicle concept for the delivery and logistics field: eT!

But is the eT! The reinvention of the delivery vehicle it claims to be? In a word, no.

We can see what happened, basically… after being given a picture of a VW transporter by Volkswagen and whilst on a break from occupying corporate money grabbing wall street (fight the power!), the art students were let loose with crayons, the result being this ‘cool concept van’ which while admittedly having excellent ‘concept’ environmental credentials, and which would probably almost definitely make Postman “Patz” life easier… just isn’t that cool. 

eT! Go home…

Comments

[Daniel Mosher]

Looks a lot like that concept van VW had been waving around as a possible modern take on the original Microbus / Transporter.. It was almost more rumor, or even urban legend, than anything else. This was around the time when the release of the New Beetle had first been launched. Let's see if VW will follow through, this time.

I mean, honestly! The Routan? A Chrysler Town And Country people mover (mini van) with Volkswagen body panels on it? Not quite the same thing as a new car on a pre-existing chassis, yeah? Not the same as the Audi R8 sharing a chassis with the Bentley continental.

C'mon, Volkswagen! Get it together.You're the company that pretty much invented the van as it's understood today. You can do much better than the Routan.