VW Type 20 concept takes what's old and makes it new again

Volkswagen on Tuesday unveiled the Type 20 concept.

Starting with a 1962 Type 2 11-window microbus, the automaker ripped out its guts and replaced it with something just a little more up to date.     

It sports a 10-kilowatt-hour battery, a 2,500-watt onboard charger and an electric motor that makes 120 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque.     

It's some weird, wild stuff.

Using a 720p wide-angle camera in the driver's second window, the concept uses facial recognition to allow the driver entry to the vehicle.    

If a command is given from the exterior, the vehicle "responds" with LED-light feedback through the headlights and the VW badge on the front end.    

There are also microphones by the driver's seat and in the back row.

There's also a holographic display in the dashboard that doesn't require special glasses, likely an extension of the GTI concept VW created for this year's Wörthersee show.

A clever pneumatic suspension, developed with Porsche, allows the Type 20 to change its ride height through software, rising as the driver approaches.   

The VW Type 20 concept will live at the new Innovation and Engineering Center California in Silicon Valley to show visitors and employees alike what is possible using off-the-beaten-path ideas.