VW ID.Buzz twins enter production

FIVE years since the reveal of the ID.Buzz concept at the Detroit motor show, Volkswagen has finally unveiled production-ready battery-electric successors to its iconic T-series models, which have made Kombi, Microbus, Caravelle, Multivan and Transporter household names. 

Like other ID-family models, the ID Buzz and its Cargo variant are based on the VW Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB).    

As GoAuto reported last month, Volkswagen Group chief executive officer Herbert Diess had said the Wolfsburg-based brand was considering electric-powered versions of what he called “emotional cars” such as the Beetle, but that the newly revealed ID.Buzz was the brand’s “first priority” in the area. 

After all, the ID.Buzz, of which production has now commenced at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ assembly plant in Hannover, is not a largely generic compact hatchback or crossover. as other MEB-based ID models have been to date – it is the spiritual successor to the air-cooled Type 2 that debuted in 1949.

That original van was known as the T1, which has so far spawned seven generations of the German brand’s T-series commercial models.

“With the ID.Buzz, we are transferring the T1 DNA to the present day and thus into the era of electric mobility,” said the head of Volkswagen design, Jozef Kabaň.

“The ID.Buzz brings a lot of sympathy and proximity to people back to the road. In the T1 you practically sit on top of the front axle – there’s no front overhang. For all its safety and technology, the ID.Buzz has super short overhangs too.”

The new model’s profile and proportions are indeed instantly recognisable; claimed to be “the first MPV with the drag coefficient of a car” (about 0.29), which reduces energy consumption and maximises range, the ID.Buzz features a V-shaped front panel between the LED headlights (with optional IQ Light functionality) – an obvious nod to the T1, while the full-width tail-light bar is also an all-LED affair. 

Both ID.Buzz and ID.Buzz Cargo are 4712mm long and ride on a 2988mm wheelbase, which is roughly the same as that of the T6.1 Transporter.

Including roof aerial, the two versions of ID.Buzz measure, depending on specification, 1937mm or 1938mm in height and 1985mm in width

Although the new model is 81mm wider than a T6.1, the claimed turning circle is a relatively tight 11.1metres.

By virtue of its long wheelbase in relation to the overall length, the ID.Buzz people mover offers a capacious, lounge-like interior with seating for five occupants and plenty of space for their luggage (an even longer-wheelbase version with seating for up to eight is in the works).

Claimed load bay capacity is 1121 litres and, if the second row of seats is folded down, up to 2205 litres of utility space is available. 

The ID.Buzz Cargo panel van can be fitted with either two or three seats up front, and a fixed partition separating off the 3.9 cubic metres of cargo space, which can take two loaded euro pallets, loaded in transversely.

Chairman of the board of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ management, Carsten Intra, described both versions of the ID.Buzz as “pioneering in terms of their sustainability”

“Their manufacture and shipping has a carbon-neutral footprint, we are using recycled synthetic materials and the interior (features) no real leather.” 

The ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo are launching across Europe with a 77kWh lithium-ion battery paired to a 150kW electric motor that drives the rear wheels.

Charging at up to 11kW from AC wall boxes or public charging stations is possible and when connected to a DC rapid-charging station, the battery can be recharged from five per cent to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes, Volkswagen claims. 

Via this function, the ID.Buzz can authenticate itself at compatible DC rapid-charging stations via the charging connector using the ISO 15118 standard.

Volkswagen says bidirectional charging enables the ID.Buzz to feed unneeded energy from the battery into the customer's home network (vehicle-to-home); the power transfer and communication take place via a special DC bi-directional wall box.

Although Volkswagen has not released full details of the new model’s safety equipment, the firm mentioned Front Assist emergency braking function and, in the case of the people mover, Lane Assist lane-keeping assistant would be fitted as standard, as would the Car2X local warning system that utilises signals from other vehicles and the transport infrastructure “to spot hazards in real time”.  

With the introduction of the ID.Buzz, new assistance functions have made their way into Volkswagen’s ID family of products.

For example, Travel Assist (with swarm data) facilitates partially automated driving across the entire speed range and, for the first time, assisted lane-changing on the motorway.

There is also a memory function for automated parking on a previously saved route, which will be optional.

“The ID. Buzz will also be used for future autonomous mobility concepts such as ride-pooling – an e-shuttle service of Group subsidiary MOIA that can be booked via an app,” added Mr Intra.

“The electric (Kombi) is thus also a part of the future of inner-city transport,” he said.

Volkswagen Australia has yet to confirm when the ID.Buzz will be introduced Down Under, but the model – a rival to the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQV – is under consideration for this market.

The group plans to introduce its first (also MEB-based) battery-electric vehicle, the Cupra Born, by the end of the year.