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Get set for the return of a legend – Volkswagen has confirmed its show-stopping new Microbus will go into production at the Hanover plant in Germany.

Volkswagen Group Australia has indicated a desire to import the stunning retro-look MPV although no date, exact specifications or pricing have been confirmed. Indeed, right-hand-drive production has not been confirmed at this stage.

But the overwhelmingly positive reaction of Australian consumers - who saw the Microbus Concept Vehicle displayed at last year’s Sydney International Motor Show - was a factor in the decision-making process. Combined Motor Show responses from Sydney, Tokyo, Geneva and Detroit, as well as independent research, convinced Volkswagen about the future for the new Microbus.

Announcing the decision to build the new Microbus in Hanover, Dr Bernd Pischetsrieder, Chairman of the Board of Management, Volkswagen AG, said: "With the Microbus, a legend which begun some 50 years ago when the first Volkswagen bus left the production line is now returning to Hanover.

"The Volkswagen bus was never just a means of transport, it has always been an emotive cult object. The public’s reaction at motor shows combined with the findings of market studies already show us that the Microbus design has a spontaneous appeal and that the new vehicle will follow in the footsteps of its successful predecessor," Dr Pischetsrieder added.

On a global scale, the two markets which have remained most faithful to the original Microbus are probably the surf-crazed West-Coast United States and Australia.

"Worldwide the three places where this news will be most welcome would probably be Hanover, Germany (1500 new jobs in the German city), Huntington Beach, California and Byron Bay, NSW," enthused Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director, Mr Peter Nochar.

"Realistically, the new Microbus would compete at the top end of the people mover market so I guess we will be seeing them outside schools morning and afternoon and down by the beach at weekends," Mr Nochar added.

The Microbus was designed at Volkswagen’s Design Studio in California and the concept vehicle shown at Motorshows was a 7-seater powered by Volkswagen’s 2.8-litre V6 engine.