In March, Volkswagen (VW) offered new details about the release of a new electric microbus, the ID Buzz, which the company says will be available for purchase in 2023, a year later than initially reported. In an interview with Car and Driver, VW’s head of commercial vehicles, Carsten Intra, said only a passenger version of the ID Buzz is getting a US-release, while Europe will be seeing both a commercial and passenger version.
The entry-level version of the ID Buzz will likely have rear-wheel drive and 200 horsepower, while a more powerful trim level would get all-wheel drive and around 300 horsepower, Car and Driver reported.
The European, commercial version of the ID Buzz – the Buzz Cargo – is expected to have sensors and software that would enable autonomous capabilities. But a self-driving version of the Buzz won’t be available until after the regular version is released. The VW Group, which also owns Audi, Skoda, and Porsche, expects it to be its first autonomous vehicle ever released.
The ID Buzz is a homage to the iconic vehicle that the company sold in North America between 1950 and 1980. Production versions are expected to deviate little from the blunt-faced original. The ID Buzz will join the ID 3 hatchback, the ID 4 compact SUV, and soon-to-be-released ID 5 coupe, as the newest member of VW’s fast-growing lineup of electric vehicles. VW’s ID electric lineup also includes concept versions of a large SUV (ID Roomzz) and a dune buggy (ID Buggy) – all built on Volkswagen’s modular electric vehicle platform known as MEB.
Source: The Verge