Volkswagen unveiled the European version of its new ID. Buzz on March 9.MARTIN MEINERS/Handout
When Volkswagen’s new all-electric micro-bus finally comes to Canada in 2024, will it just be a retro-cool minivan? Will it be enough to lure North American drivers away from SUVs?
VW debuted the ID. Buzz on Wednesday in Europe with a misty-eyed YouTube video. Actor Ewan McGregor spoke of its iconic flower-power appeal and its environmental advantages as a pure EV, while company executives extolled it as “a milestone on our way toward the future.”
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It will be built on the same “MEB” platform as Volkswagen’s other ID. electric vehicles, which hold all the batteries underneath the floor of the vehicle in a temperature-controlled frame. This means the floor is totally flat, with no driveshaft and just a small compartment for the motor at the front.
The ID. Buzz will have a standard wheelbase of 2,988 millimetres, for a total length of 4,712 millimetres, but the North American version will be longer.MARTIN MEINERS/Handout
Volkswagen only released details of the European version this week, which will be sold as both a passenger vehicle and a cargo van. It will have a standard wheelbase of 2,988 millimetres, for a total length of 4,712 millimetres, but the North American version will be longer. The standard length accommodates two rows of seats, while the one for North American will come with three rows to seat seven.
There was no official information given about the North American model, but it’s believed it will only be a passenger van, and the longer length will add an extra 25 centimetres to the wheelbase.
While the European vehicle will have the same 82-kilowatt-hour battery as the current ID.4 SUV, good for a range of about 400 kilometres, the larger North American model will likely have a 111-kilowatt-hour battery that will bump the warm-weather range to about 600 kilometres, as well as options for either rear-wheel- or all-wheel drive. A heat pump is optional in Europe, but will probably be standard in Canada, like the ID.4.
Volkswagen only released details of the European version this week, which will be sold as both a passenger vehicle and a cargo van.MARTIN MEINERS/Handout
The European motor is good for 201 horsepower and 229 lbs.-ft. of torque, but a bigger North American motor should produce around 300 horsepower. Both versions will charge more quickly than the current ID.4, with a capacity of 170 kilowatts that is greater than the ability of most current fast-charging stations. The ID.4 can currently charge at 125 kilowatts, but it will probably charge at the same higher capacity next year.
No prices were released, but unlike the hippie-van of the 1960s, the ID. Buzz probably won’t be cheap. It’s not likely to sell in its most basic form for below the $45,000 threshold that currently qualifies for a federal government rebate.
The MEB platform means the wheels can be pulled right out to the corners of the frame, which helps create a tight turning circle. The standard-length van can turn in 11 metres, which is about the same as a VW Golf. This also maximizes space inside and the low floor provides the same leg room and head room in the third row as in the second row. The side doors slide open – just like a minivan.
The standard length accommodates two rows of seats, while the one for the North American version will come with three rows to seat seven.MARTIN MEINERS/Handout
The Canadian ID. Buzz will offer as much advanced driving safety assistance as Volkswagen can develop. Already, it includes self-parking, assisted lane changing and forward collision avoidance – features that will improve within the next year. It also uses “swarm data” when possible from other vehicles, so it can follow the course of those vehicles and drive safely even on a road with no lane markings.
The ID. Buzz shares the same look as the old T1 and T2 VW micro-buses, though the cheerful round headlamps are replaced by shallow LED lights and the classic split windshield is a single sheet of glass. It still has distinct upper and lower side panels, which are available in separate two-tone colours, and an extra-large illuminated VW logo on the classic V-shaped hood.
“The T1 – an icon of the 1950s – represents freedom and the democratization of mobility,” said Jozef Kaban, Head of Volkswagen Design, in a statement. “With the ID. Buzz, we are transferring the T1 DNA to the present day and thus into the era of electric mobility and sustainability.”
Four generations of the Volkswagen bus.
There was no news given on a potential camper-van version, though Volkswagen has said there will be an ID. Buzz “California” edition in the future. It is assumed this will be a camper reminiscent of the old T2 Westfalia van, complete with a kitchenette and pop-up roof. If it is not, then rest assured that there will be many aftermarket companies anxious to convert the ID. Buzz into whatever you want.
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Mark Richardson