VW's I.D. Buzz EV Microbus tapped for possible 2022 release

Volkswagen's I.D. Buzz concept for an eletric microbus could be put in mass production by 2022. According to a report from Automotive News Europe which notes, "Volkswagen brand CEO Herbert Diess is expected to announce on Saturday details regarding the production of the battery-powered I.D. Buzz microbus slated to debut in 2022."

I got to see the I.D. Buzz at the Detroit Auto Show early this year and was impressed at the mix of retro flavour and innovative EV and driverless features the concept proposed. A futuristic successor to the nostalgic Microbuses, Vanagons and Eurovans of decades past, the I.D. Buzz is one of three EVs VW plans to build and a unique concept in a world of EV sedans and SUVs.

Diess will likely be joined by Eckhard Scholz, the head of Volkswagen's light commercial vehicle business, which manufactures the Transporter in Hanover, Germany, where all six generations of the van have been produced since 1956.

Coming off the Dieselgate scandal, a tangible entry into the EV market could set VW up for future success as EVs become more mainstream.

Source: Automotive News Europe

Instagram adds fun ways to reply to direct messages

Instagram wants to keep you engaged and having fun on its platform. Another new feature Instagram is introducing adds some new ways to reply to videos and photos sent to you directly by your friends. If your friend sent you a photo or video in Direct, you can reply to them with a sticker of what you’re replying to (as you see in the first two screenshots from the left). Aside from that, you can also now send split-screen replies and let you add some stickers or doodles to the image you’ve been sent and then add your own photo. The new features are coming to both Android and iOS.

Here’s the final ‘The Defenders’ trailer as show starts streaming on August 18th

Marvel’s The Defenders is set to hit Netflix tomorrow, August 18^th. Before that we get one last look at what the new series has to offer. We get to see just how threatening and menacing Sigourney Weaver’s Alexandra really is. Marvel’s The Defenders follows Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) as they try and save New York from baddies like Alexandra. We get to see these four solitary heroes with their own personal baggage try to work together.

You can now customize your VANS in Canada

Vans Canada has taken a digital approach to their culture of enabling creative expression with the introduction of Customs. Now consumers can customize their very own pair of Classic using a range of fabrics in a variety of colours, materials and designs to create over 800 million combinations. Available in all sizes, customization is available for Vans’ 5 Classic Icons –Authentic, Era, Old Skool, Classic Slip-On and Sk8-Hi, both in their original form and Classic Lite, All-Weather and Pro Skate models.

Vans’ long history of customization began when the first Vans store opened in Anaheim, California, where Paul Van Doren incorporated his customer’s favourite fabrics into their Vans shoes. 

Click to read more ...