Green-lit at headquarters, but still awaiting global market approval.
What’s been described as the “final temptation,” the long-awaited successor to the iconic Volkswagen Microbus may finally be coming, after the well-received ID Buzz electric-van concept wowed the crowds at the Detroit motor show in January.
The ID Buzz is the second instalment in Volkswagen ‘ID’ family of electric vehicle concepts, and its design derides heavily from the Microbus of the 1950s. Packing up to 275kW an all-wheel drive, the ID Buzz is purported to do the century sprint in just 5.0-seconds, while managing a range of roughly 600km on a single charge. The flat floor afforded by the versatile ‘MED’ platform it’s built on means that the ID Buzz can accommodate passengers in a variety of arrangements, complemented further by the cargo space in the nose and tail, as well as full-autonomous driving capabilities.
Our last article on the ID Buzz during its unveiling in Detroit detailed that Volkswagen had to secure a business case for the ‘new Microbus,’ saying that that was the only real hurdle in bringing the funky concept into production. In an Autocar report, VW’s executive director of design Mr. Klaus Bischoff said that while the ID Buzz has been “well-received in the US & Europe,” the “missing link” is the Chinese market. China, as a consumer market, is strong enough to command its own bespoke models; Hence, it’s understood as to why VW would be hesitant to produce a car that the Chinese wouldn’t take to.
“It’s quite an investment,” Bischoff said. “It needs a global green light. In the meantime, it’s a thumbs-up.” The design director has a soft spot for the ID Buzz and the Microbus, and has admitted that he has tried “quite a bit to bring this to life.” He went on to admit that this is “the final temptation.”
The ID Buzz and ID hatch will be joined by an SUV, which will be unveiled at the Shanghai motor show. The fourth instalment to the all-electric ID concept family will be a saloon, which will debut before the year is out. The SUV will sport looks that are “non-aggressive but self-confident” according to Bischoff, whereas the saloon will be a “surprise.” He went on to say that some of his colleagues exclaimed ‘wow’ upon seeing the concept design for the first time.
For more information on Volkswagen, check out our Showroom.
