Volkswagen shows off production ID. Buzz

Thursday, 10 March 2022

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz has been revealed in passenger and Cargo forms.

Volkswagen has revealed the production ID. Buzz, the spiritual successor to the Type 2 ‘Kombi’ van, coming in both passenger and Cargo variants.

From the outside, it looks broadly the same as the 2017 concept. There are short overhangs, the LED headlights are standard ID-family fare, and the front grille is perforated, with the large centre hole housing camera and radar equipment for autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist (in the passenger version), and assisted lane-changing on the motorway.

Around the back is a coast-to-coast LED strip, a first for a VW commercial vehicle. Prototypes of the Cargo version were spotted with barn doors, but this one has a large tailgate like the passenger model. A two-tone paint job throws it back to the original T1 generation of Type 2, as does the V-shaped front panel.

Inside are two digital screens, a ten-inch instrument display and either another ten-inch or an optional 12-inch infotainment display. Below the centre display is a digital control bar for the air-conditioning and volume controls.

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The two-tone paint is optional, unfortunately.

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The Cargo can hold two euro pallets laid flat.

“The T1 – an icon of the 1950s – enabled people to gain mobility and freedom. With the ID. Buzz, we are transferring this T1 DNA to the present day and thus into the era of electric mobility,” said Jozef Kabaň, Head of Volkswagen Design.

Power comes from a 77kWh battery pack paired with a 150kW/310Nm electric motor mounted on the rear axle. Volkswagen says the battery is mounted low to keep the centre of gravity close to the ground, helping the handling.

It supports charging rates up to 170kW when connected to a DC fast charger. The Buzz will also support bidirectional charging, feeding unneeded energy into a home network.

Range figures are yet to be confirmed, weirdly, because that’s a rather crucial metric. In any case, more battery options and power variants will come at a later date.

The Buzz and Buzz Cargo feature a wheelbase of 2988mm, about the same as the current T6.1. This helps give the passenger version a “lounge-like, friendly ambience.” There are 1121 litres of luggage capacity, expandable to 2205 litres with the second row folded.

You can have either two or three seats up front in the Cargo, and a fixed partition separating off the 3.9 cubic metre cargo space. It can take two loaded euro pallets, loaded in transversely.

Both the passenger and Cargo models will launch in New Zealand, but dates and final specifications are yet to be confirmed. European buyers can order now, with delivery set for the third quarter of 2022.

“We’re working very hard with the factory in Europe to get the ID. Buzz into New Zealand next year as soon as possible,” said Volkswagen New Zealand Commercial Vehicles general manager, Kevin Richards.

“The only downside to creating such a fantastic ‘buzz’ with this vehicle is that everyone wants one! Demand in Europe is so strong that we’ll just need to be a little more patient Downunder before we see it.”