Time to get the boardies out and dust off the surfboard again. The VW Kombi is coming back!

Sort of.

Volkswagen has reinvented “the icon for a new era”, so what was once the Kombi with its air-cooled engine – recognisable the world over for its unique burble – is now the near-silent, fully electric ‘ID.Buzz’.

The German brand might have been accused of being late to the EV party, but the ID.Buzz serves as the halo model for a new range of EVs arriving in Australia by the end of the year.

And to help whip up consumer interest, the new-look Kombi is visiting Canberra for one day only this Sunday as the star of the 2024 German Auto Day.

More than 300 cars from marques like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen and more are expected to grace the open events space at Thoroughbred Park Raceway in Lyneham this Sunday (22 September).

Lennock Volkswagen has come on board as the event’s name sponsor, and will bring a “whole semi-trailer of cars” in addition to the ID.Buzz, according to event organiser and BMW Car Club Canberra vice-president Graham Ball.

The shape should look familiar. Photo: Volkswagen Australia.

“The event is getting huge traction online from all the car clubs,” he says.

“We’ve got about 10 Audi R8s coming, GT3 Porsches, an array of BMW M cars from the classics through to the latest – we’ll have literally everything there, from the 1960s to 2024.”

German Auto Day began on the lawns of Old Parliament House until it and many of Canberra’s other car shows were forced to relocate to Queanbeyan after the National Capital Authority (NCA) complained of damage to the grass and tree roots in the area.

The show was welcomed to Queanbeyan by the local council, but with the town park now off-limits for the same reason as the Parliamentary Triangle and the showground occupied by the Queanbeyan Medieval Fair this weekend, the German Auto Day has had to find a new home.

“Thoroughbred Park has come on board to happily host us, and it’s good to be back in Canberra,” Graham says.

Canberra’s “home of horseracing” has previously flexed its ability to host car shows with the inaugural ‘Canberra Festival of Speed’ in March 2024.

This involved static car displays, various vendors, and even an active circuit so attendees could see and hear many of the supercars under throttle.

The Canberra Racing Club (CRC) has signed a contract with the organisers to host the festival for at least the next two years. The next is planned for the Australia Day long weekend in January 2025. Tickets are now on sale online.

Graham says the German Auto Day has tried to adopt a similar festival feel in recent times (even if there are too many insurance hoops to jump through to have cars running on the park’s circuit).

“We’ll also have various trade stalls, selling everything from detailing products to model cars,” he says.

“It’s not just a car show. It’s more of a cultural thing.”

The Harmonie German Club will also bring along its famed food van, keeping things very culturally appropriate with things like currywurst, leberkase, bratwurst, and “much more”. There will be non-alcoholic drinks, burgers and ice creams available from other vendors, too.

The approach has paid off.

“I think having that the German food and music is bring more of the families out, and especially the food lovers,” Graham says.

“From what I’m seeing on our socials, a lot more people are getting excited about the food, and the cars have become the bonus.”

The Harmonie German Club food van also attended the Canberra Festival of Speed in March. Photo: Harmonie German Club.

When it goes on sale before Christmas, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz will start at $87,990 for the Pro five-seater version, going up to $91,290 for the seven-seat long-wheelbase Pro, and $109,990 for the top-spec GTX.

The two Pro models are powered by a 210 kW single rear-mounted electric motor, while the GTX upgrades to two motors, 250 kW, and all-wheel-drive.

There is also a $79,990 Cargo commercial version with two or three-seat options.

It’s as creative inside, too. Photo: Volkswagen Australia.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Director Ryan Davies said the “so-called ‘electric Kombi’” has received more than 7000 expressions of interest, a figure likely to “increase rapidly”.

“Many Australians have a deep emotional and historical connection with Volkswagen vans and people movers,” Mr Davies said.

“We’re delighted to deliver the highly desirable BEV reinventions of those classics.”

A spokesperson for Volkswagen Australia told Region more ID models can be expected by the year’s end, starting with the ID.4 Pro and ID.5 GTX SUVs, with pricing to be announced soon.

German Auto Day will be held from 10 am to 3 pm this Sunday, 22 September, at Thoroughbred Park Raceway, 1 Randwick Road, Lyneham. Free parking is available on-site, off Randwick Road. Entry is by gold-coin donation.

Visit the Facebook event listing for more information.