The Volkswagen ID Cargo which will be the basis of the ID Buzz has been photographed testing.
The first pictures of the production version of the Volkswagen ID Cargo fully electric van and ID Buzz minibus have been captured, showing the forthcoming model testing with little camouflage.
Both passenger and cargo versions are expected, and the spy photos appear to show the latter. The same model was spied testing again, with a slightly different wheel design, just a few days later.
As you might only expect, the boxy shape translates into plenty of space inside, but the fact that the Buzz is an electric car is also a big help. It means the designers can leave a flat floor inside the car, while there’s enough room for eight seats or a significant cargo volume. Battery capacities ranging from 48 to 111kWh are expected, for an estimated driving range of up to around 550km. Both single and dual-motor layouts are anticipated, too, with a 150kW and 160kph top speed for the former.
The arrival of the ID. Buzz means there won’t be a fully electric version of the new Volkswagen Transporter van and Multivan minibus, but that model is adopting plug-in hybrid power for its latest generation. When it arrives, the ID. Buzz will be third member of Volkswagen’s ID electric-car family, following on from the ID.3 hatchback and ID.4 SUV.
They’re all built on the company’s ‘MEB’ platform, which has been developed specifically for electric cars, but the retro looks of the Buzz contrast with the modern style of the other two. The Buzz is unashamedly inspired by the 1950s Type 2 Microbus. The concept version (pictured above) has the same two-tone paintwork and a flat front end with a big ‘VW’ badge, although the full LED lights are a thoroughly 21st-century touch.
No exact launch date for the ID. Buzz has been issued as yet, but at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in the US in 2017, the then-Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess said that the model would be on sale “by 2022”. It’s likely to be unveiled in the latter part of that year, with first European deliveries to customers happening in early 2023.
Stephen Errity