All-electric next gen VW ‘Kombi’
Unashamedly retro in design, the concept ID.Buzz – the first commercially-focused vehicle in Volkswagen’s ID. family of EVs – featured plenty of styling cues in its exterior that harked back to the original Type 2 ‘Kombi’ van. The production ID.Buzz will feature the same MEB underpinnings as used in other ID. models, such as the ID.3 hatchback and ID.4 SUV. MEB underbody architecture will also be used by other brands in the Volkswagen stable, such as Skoda and SEAT/Cupra.
Volkswagen will reveal the production-ready version of the highly anticipated ID.Buzz electric van in March.
Company boss, Herbert Diess, revealed the planned unveiling on Twitter, tweeting “The legend returns on 03/09/22!” along with a video of an ID.Buzz design sketch.
The sketch incorporates the retro-inspired lines that have been a feature of the ID.Buzz since the concept was first revealed back in 2017, suggesting that the final market-ready version will still feature design elements that pay homage to the original iconic Volkswagen Type 2 ‘Kombi’.
After the straightforward commercial version of the ID.Buzz was spotted testing in Germany in the middle of last year sporting more conventional looks, it was thought a lot of the retro styling seen on the concept would be watered down for the production version. However, the new teaser video combined with further spy shots which showed the test vehicle to be heavily camouflaged with fake body panels, suggest the original concept’s retro-inspired looks could well make it into production.
While retro on the outside, the production-ready version will feature Volkswagen’s latest MEB electric architecture underneath. The all-electric MEB platform also underpins other models in the ID. family, such as the ID.3 hatchback and ID.4 SUV.
Overseas reports suggest that the ID.Buzz will be limited to Northern Hemisphere markets initially. Industry watchers say Volkswagen will launch the van in the US and Europe in two passenger iterations. The top model will be a high-end 275kW all-wheel-drive version featuring a 111kWh battery that will offer a range of more than 600km. A less-expensive rear-wheel-drive version with an 83kWh battery will also be on offer. A commercial version of the rear-wheel-drive van will also be available in Europe from launch.
ID.Buzz availability in New Zealand and other right-hand-drive markets is yet to be confirmed.