What is Volkswagen’s vision for the electric future? Attendees at CES in January in Las Vegas will get to hear VW Chairman of the Board Herbert Diess’s thoughts on the subject. Diess will deliver a keynote address in which he plans to announce a new electric concept.

Rumor has it that the concept will be an electric version of the beloved VW Microbus, featuring a new electric drive system and the latest connectivity technologies. Autocar reports that VW plans to produce a version of the e-bus in 2017, and the company released a teaser image of the concept. In a press release, VW said it “will present a completely new concept car at the CES, to illustrate the major changes that the car is set to go through in the next few years. First and foremost the world premiere marks the beginning of a new era of affordable long-distance electromobility.”

2011 Volkswagen Bulli Microvan Concept

“CES is a celebration of diverse ideas. Our stage is open to those who bring innovation and can showcase how technology is changing the world, even those who bring controversy,” said Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of event organizer CTA. “When we agreed to a Volkswagen keynote earlier this year we, along with the world, did not know much about emissions testing, but after talking with Dr. Diess I felt the CES audience would be interested in his vision and curious about his plans for a new type of sustainable car.”

Automotive technology is becoming a bigger part of CES – over 115 automotive tech companies and nine automakers will present at the 2016 show, a 25 percent increase over last year.

Sources: VW, CES, Autocar