For many, the Volkswagen Type 2 panel van generates nostalgia for long-ago road trips and hippy-era flower power. But the German automaker's latest Microbus model gives the vintage van an all-electric overhaul.

Still feeling the effects of its 2015 diesel-emissions cheating scandal, VW this week introduced its second electric concept vehicle, the I.D. Buzz, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

"The Volkswagen brand's big electric offensive begins in the year 2020 with a completely new vehicle architecture," Herbert Diess, CEO of VW Brands, said in a statement. "By 2025 we want to be selling one million of these [fully connected, all-electric] vehicles annually. We are making electric mobility the new trademark of Volkswagen."

Longer, sleeker, and less boxy than its predecessor, the I.D. Buzz zero-emissions car features electric motors at the front and rear axles, fully autonomous driving mode, a multi-variable seating layout, and a floor-mounted battery for a lower center of gravity.

Volkswagen also included modern functionalities like a touch-sensitive steering wheel, augmented reality head-up display, and a tablet usable outside the vehicle.

Though not the fastest car on the road, the Buzz accelerates from zero to 60 mph in about five seconds. Plus, its 111kWh battery charges to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes using a Combined Charging System (CCS) or inductive charging interface. It can also rejuice via a conventional household outlet and at public charging stations.

The concept's name, according to Volkswagen, "was hardly an arbitrary choice": I.D. stands for "identity," "idea," "individual," "intelligent," and "iconic design," while Buzz is a play on "bus," and references the silent "buzzing" of the electric drive system.