At the recent Detroit Motor Show VW showcased the I.D. Buzz as the second component of the Group’s all electric I.D. range.
The I.D. Buzz revives the VW camper van in an eight-seater concept that has an flexible interior and can drive itself. The Buzz will be powered by two electric motors with a combined 369bhp output and shares the same MEB (modular electric platform), platform as the Golf-sized I.D. concept revealed last year. The Buzz should go on sale in 2022.
The I.D. Buzz follows in the footsteps of the I.D. concept revealed last year at the Paris Motor Show. The model revealed in September 2016 was a Volkswagen Golf-sized family car, powered by a 168bhp electric motor and batteries capable of covering over 300 miles between charges.
The Buzz is the second car in the ‘I.D.’ sub-brand, and VW says it ‘forges links between the legendary origins of the Volkswagen brand and its electrifying future’.
Its retro looks will certainly appeal to many buyers, especially those who were fans of the original Volkswagen Type 2, which was built from 1950 and still holds the legendary status that it gained through the sixties and seventies.
Many of the same features have been carried over to this 2020 vision – including the two-tone split paintwork and the almost flat-nosed front end sporting a back-lit oversized VW logo. The computer images do look interesting.
The I.D Buzz with dual motors producing 369bhp, compares to the 50bhp on offer in the late 1960s and early 1970s Type 2 camper vans and fifteen times the 24bhp output of the original. It has also been designed to be self-driving when the driver wants to take a break.
The design has been dragged into the future with LED lights front and back, a glowing strip that divides the contrasting paint colours around the vehicle, and enormous 22-inch alloy wheels.
Like the Golf-sized I.D. concept, the Buzz has been built on the MEB which Volkswagen says shows ‘the potential and bandwidth of the MEB’ and should be the basis for a fleet of 30 EVs as part of its ‘Strategy 2025’ plans. All part of VWs “lets move away from Diesel and engine rigging gate” cunning plan. We look forward to more details from VW.
The Volkswagen I.D. Buzz autonomous minibus concept is unveiled during the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 9, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
