Right now, every electric vehicle is important to every electric vehicle brand, regardless of premium status. Because there are so few electric cars on the market, relative to internal combustion cars, you have to cast a wider net than usual when shopping for one. Which is why the upcoming Volkswagen ID.Buzz is a car that, despite not directly competing with any BMW product, the Bavarians should keep an eye on.

Volkswagen first debuted its ID.Buzz concept a few years back but it’s finally ready to hit the road. According to a recent tweet from Volkswagen, the ID.Buzz will make its worldwide debut on March 9, 2022. The tweet only teases the upcoming electric microbus but it looks to be production-ready and it’s said to arrive in 2023, as a 2024 model year.

What is the Volkswagen ID.Buzz? It’s a retro-styled, all-electric return of the VW microbus, a car that was immensely popular in its day and has a massive cult following even now. There’s something inherently cool and desirable about the old VW bus, making it almost impossible to not like. Which gives this new car a ton of charm, prior to even being released.

BMW doesn’t sell any microbuses or minivans, it doesn’t have an electric vehicle of any kind at around the ID.Buzz’s $40,000 starting price, and it’s typically seen as a cut above Volkswagen, in terms of quality and luxury. However, the ID.Buzz looks like it will be a hugely popular car among customers. VW is clever to use the original car’s charisma and desirability to make an EV, as it will bring in countless customers, just so they can own the revival of the bug.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz will be built on the brand’s ubiquitous MEB architecture, and all-electric platform designed for small-to-medium EVs. There will be two versions; a short and long wheelbase; which will have either single or dual motors, three rows of seats, and it will start at around $40,000.

With an all-electric powertrain, quirky fun looks, the nostalgia of a classic and beloved nameplate, and a sub-$50,000 price tag, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz is likely going to be a big hit. I’d buy one.