When Volkswagen introduced the ID.4 GTX at the end of April, the event dedicated to the high-performance electric SUV also contained a teaser for the ID.5. The latter was officially unveiled today together with the ID.5 GTX, but as with the previous world premiere, it too contained a preview of a future EV from Wolfsburg.
We’re talking about the long-awaited production version of the ID. Buzz, which was originally unveiled as a concept car nearly five years ago. Yes, VW took the wraps off the concept way back in January 2017 at the Detroit Auto Show. Fast forward to today, the German automaker promises it will “talk about [the road-going model] at the beginning of next year.” Hopefully, that means we are only a couple of months away from seeing the production-ready electric van.
Click play below and the video will take you straight to the moment when VW provides a glimpse of the final ID. Buzz coming in 2022.
You can easily tell it’s the version we will be seeing in showrooms soon by the regular door handles as well as traditional side mirrors whereas the concept had cameras. It differs from the showcar by featuring an LED light bar in the same vein as other recent VW, electric or not. In addition, the headlights are larger than those of the concept before it while the bumper has lost the honeycomb-shaped LED elements.
As a reminder, the ID. Buzz will initially arrive in Europe next year – likely with two wheelbase options –before going on sale in the United States only in the stretched configuration in 2023. The modern take on the Microbus is said to receive a six-passenger interior layout with individual rear seats on the Old Continent while the US-spec model is reportedly getting two seats facing forward and another two facing rearward.
Needless to say, VW Commercial Vehicles is also developing a cargo version for commercial purposes and is believed to mainly target parcel delivery companies. The production-ready ID. Buzz will be assembled in Hannover and logic tells us it will come in rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations with single and dual electric motors, respectively. The beefier version could have nearly 300 horsepower as is the case with the AWD-equipped ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX.
An autonomous version is earmarked for a 2025 release, and it is already part of a pilot program in Hamburg for autonomous ride-pooling services. The same city will be the first location where the driverless variant will be deployed in 2025, with other important cities in Europe and the United States to follow.
Source: Volkswagen News / YouTube
