Meet the Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric, the EV we really want.
Evan KleinVolkswagen unveiled the ID. Buggy concept back in 2019, which harkened back to the old Meyers Manx dune buggies. Thus far, Volkswagen has opted not to build a protection version of it — though electric off-roader plans are in the works. But it appears the dune buggy will get an electric revival from the Meyers Manx company (under new VC ownership).
The new EV will be called the Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric. It’s designed by automotive designer Freeman Thomas, credited with the original designs for the Volkswagen New Beetle and the Audi TT. It looks remarkably like the original Meyers Manx. However, owner Phillip Sarofim told TechCrunch that the round headlight housings are the only part of the original Meyers Manx. Everything else has been re-engineered.
Evan Klein
Per TechCrunch, the Meyers Manx 2.0 will come with two battery packs, 20 kWh or 40 kWh. Those packs will deliver either 150 or 300 miles of range for the road-legal dune buggy. The latter will allow it to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
How will the Meyers Manx 2.0 achieve that performance and range with such a small battery pack? Weight reduction. The dune buggy will only weigh about 1500 lbs with the small pack and 1,650 pounds with the large one. That’s about the same weight as an early 1960s Beetle and around one-third of the weight of an ID.4 crossover.
Meyers Manx will build an initial run of 50 dune buggies for the 2023 model year. These vehicles will be beta testers before the company scales up for a more extensive production run. Sarofim told Techcrunch the cars will be built by a U.S.-based manufacturer that is not “a carmaker per se.” No word yet on pricing.
Keyword: Meyers Manx Is Bringing Back the Dune Buggy as an EV