Reuters cites a VW Group spokesperson saying the global recall is necessary because of a fire risk. The issue stems from a potentially defective fuse in the drivetrain. In a worst-case scenario, the fuse won’t work as it should when there’s an overvoltage. To fix the problem, technicians will have to install an insulating mat on the battery’s switch box.

No fewer than 16 cases have been reported thus far at home in Germany, prompting the VW Group to issue a global recall. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) regulator, these vehicles suffer from “inadequate fastening of the engine design cover that can lead to contact with hot parts and subsequently to fire.”

Approximately 42,300 VW Golf, Tiguan, Passat, Arteon, and Multivan T7 vehicles are impacted by the recall, while luxury brand Audi must fix 24,400 units of the A3 and Q3. The rest of the vehicles until 100,000 belong to Skoda and SEAT as the mainstream brands from the Czech Republic and Spain also use PHEV tech developed by their parent company. For example, about 22,000 units of the 2021 Octavia and Superb PHEV have been hit with a recall.

Although the VW Group is pressing ahead with its EV agenda, plug-in hybrids remain important. So much so that the next-generation Audi A4 will bring a more advanced PHEV setup courtesy of a bigger battery pack for a longer electric range. Expect future plug-in hybrids from VAG to cover more than 62 miles (100 kilometers) without sipping any fuel. Hopefully, the German automotive giant will learn from its mistakes and won’t repeat them on next-gen electrified cars.

With VW confirming the Golf and Tiguan will live to see a new generation, it tells us PHEVs won’t be discontinued until the end of the decade or even later.

Source: Reuters

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It is believed the revamped VW Passat will be offered exclusively in the more practical Variant body style. Production will move to Bratislava in Slovakia where the midsize car is going to be assembled alongside its sister model, the new Skoda Superb. Still riding on the MQB platform, the next Passat will once again be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

There will apparently be two PHEV options, a base Passat eHybrid and a more powerful variant carrying today’s moniker – Passat GTE. The former should make do with around 200 horsepower whereas the overhauled GTE will pack more punch, according to a new report from Auto Express. The British magazine claims the battery size will grow beyond the current 13-kWh capacity to achieve a greater electric range. It is believed the wagon-only 2023 Passat could cover as much as 60 miles (97 kilometers) without needing any gasoline, presumably on the WLTP test cycle.

Aside from traveling farther without the combustion engine turned on, the new Passat is believed to receive quicker charging tech. While the current car has a maximum charging power of 3.6 kW, its replacement could triple the speed to 11 kW while carrying more cells. It makes sense for VW to install a bigger battery since the wheelbase will reportedly be extended, thus freeing up room for a larger pack while boosting rear legroom.

We’ll likely see the Passat first and then the Superb. Both will likely be the last of the breed to still offer gasoline and diesel engines since their replacements coming around the end of the decade are probably going to be EVs.

Source: Auto Express

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A follow-up to the namesake concept from four years ago, the production-ready VW ID Buzz is coming as yet another electric vehicle based on the MEB platform. It’s currently undergoing final testing prior to its debut next Wednesday both as a passenger and commercial van. Initially, it will be available with the 82-kWh battery (77 kWh net capacity), but we’ve heard a bigger pack is set to arrive further down the line.

Upon launch, the 2023 ID Buzz will be sold exclusively with a rear-mounted electric motor producing 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet (310 Newton-meters) of torque. Chances are a future variant will add a front motor and enable AWD with around 300 hp to mirror the ID.5 GTX. Much like the other EVs riding on the bespoke architecture, the electric people mover will have short overhangs and a long wheelbase to maximize interior space.

In regards to size, it’ll be 4,712 mm long, 1,985 mm wide (without mirrors), and 1,937 mm tall (1938 mm for the cargo model), with a wheelbase stretching at 2,988 mm. VW Commercial Vehicles has previously said it will offer the ID Buzz with various alloy wheels measuring from 18 to 21 inches. While the passenger model will have a cargo capacity of 1,121 liters, the cargo model is going to offer 3.9m³.

Other known details include a turning circle of around 11 meters and an electronically capped top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h). The cargo variant, which won’t be coming to the United States, will come as standard with a partition wall and is going to feature three front seats. VW will assemble the ID Buzz in Hannover, Germany and will commence sales in Europe this fall, with the US to get the electric van from 2023.

Source: Volkswagen USA News / YouTube

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There are many reasons for which Trinity is an important car not just for the VW core brand, but also for the entire Group. With the Passat-sized electric sedan, the German automotive conglomerate aims to cut production time to just 10 hours and match Tesla. Doing so will be possible by using fewer components as well as offering fewer configurations. In addition, the Trinity will be assembled using leaner production lines with more automation than ever before.

Trinity will also mark the debut for VW Group’s hugely promising SSP architecture that will eventually replace all existing EV platforms as well as those used by cars equipped with combustion engines. At the new factory in Wolfsburg, the company aims to make around 250,000 cars each year and these will be ready to meet level 4 autonomous driving criteria.

VW is promising a “much shorter charging time” compared to the current crop of EVs, along with a maximum range of over 435 miles (700 kilometers). The plant where Trinity will be assembled is going to be entirely carbon neutral and the car’s platform will go on to underpin over 40 million electric vehicles across the VW Group’s many brands.

It won’t have a traditional sedan body style as it will adopt a sleeker coupe-like silhouette in the same vein as the Arteon. Chances are VW is engineering the midsize Trinity as a more practical liftback rear instead of a regular trunk lid. Developing the EV and erecting the factory is going to cost approximately €2 billion, which works out to nearly $2.2 billion at current exchange rates.

When it does arrive in 2026, the VW Trinity will carry a starting price of around €35,000, according to a previous statement made by the core brand’s CEO Ralf Brandstätter. We also know it will do 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in less than five seconds and charge the battery from 5% to 80% in as little as nine minutes.

Before the production version is unveiled, VW is expected to introduce a concept car, likely the one we’ve been seeing in these teaser images.

Source: Volkswagen

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Instead, a closer-to-production concept dubbed E-Passat is set to premiere in the latter half of April at the Beijing Auto Show. The road-going model is apparently scheduled to hit the market in 2023 but with a different name. Rather surprisingly, VW is rumored to utilize the ID.6 moniker, which we’re certain some will find a tad confusing. Why? Because a three-row electric SUV is sold in China as the ID.6 X and ID.6 Crozz through VW’s local joint ventures with SAIC and FAW, respectively.

The aforementioned ID Space Vizzion will morph into a production model as a wagon or a more stylish shooting brake approximately 18 months after the sedan.

Before that happens, the ID Buzz will finally make its world debut on March 9. It’s set to enter production in the first half of the year in Hannover, with deliveries in Europe to commence this fall for both the passenger and cargo versions. The United States will only get the former, and only from later in 2023.

Further down the line, the Trinity concept VW has been teasing for a while is apparently getting the ID.7 moniker. To the surprise of no one, an ID.7 X is rumored to be in the works as a crossover equivalent. However, Automobilewoche doesn’t exclude the possibility of different names in the same vein as the ID Buzz we mentioned earlier.

Ultimately, an ID.8 large electric SUV is believed to be on the agenda as a replacement for both the mainstream Atlas (Teramont in China) and the more luxurious Touareg. It’ll either be mechanically related to the final Audi Q7 to use combustion engines or it will boast the already announced SSP dedicated electric car architecture.

Source: Automobilewoche (subscription required)

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It would appear VW’s chief designer Jozef Kabaň is working on a fresh design that would give the entry-level EV a far more modern appearance. The somewhat retro-flavored styling of last year’s concept has fallen out of favor and now the team is busy with a clean-sheet redesign. The decision has reportedly been taken to better cater to young buyers, which the ID Life will target since it’ll cost around €20,000 before incentives.

Automobilwoche claims VW wants to “captivate young customers in terms of multimedia and connectivity.” The production version could go by the name of ID.2, possibly with an “Urban” suffix. The same publication alleges it will be just about the same size as the Polo supermini but as spacious on the inside as the compact Golf.

That seems plausible since the car will ride on the MEB Small platform created for front-wheel-drive EVs. Being a dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, it would allow the engineers to shorten the overhangs to maximize the wheelbase while still fitting into the B-segment. A year later, in 2026, the ID.2 Urban could spawn an ID.2 X crossover derivative in the same vein as the subcompact Polo has a T-Cross equivalent.

Meanwhile, VW has brought back the e-up! it had to temporarily retire from the market to clear a large backlog of orders. It begins at €26,895 in Germany, but the final price can be as low as €17,325 after factoring in EV-related incentives. It offers a 32.2-kWh battery with a maximum range of 258 kilometers (160 miles) in the WLTP cycle.

Source: Automobilwoche (subscription required)

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Nevertheless, Bjørn Nyland’s walkaround video is a good opportunity to see the VW ID Buzz Cargo and its three front seats. Of course, the most important feature of the version engineered to carry bulky items is the load area with its massive capacity of 3.9 m³. It’s worth noting the commercial version has a partition wall behind the seats and comes with a slightly wider load sill, measuring 623 mm.

Another change compared to the passenger variant is the switch from a giant tailgate to “barn doors” providing access to a cargo area that can take two euro pallets. VW has mentioned the ID Buzz Cargo will offer a payload capacity of 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds) while the load area will be a little over two meters long. Some versions of the electric van will feature a dedicated storage area underneath the passenger side to put even longer items.

The video also shows the electrically deployable tow bar by pressing a button on the left side of the cargo area while the other side has a power socket. Several hooks along with rails to secure the items will be installed and we also get to learn the production ID Buzz Cargo will have electrically operated sliding doors. Towards the end of the video, we can observe the door on the right must be closed first before shutting the left one.

Initially, the VW ID Buzz Cargo will be sold only with rear-wheel drive, a single electric motor, and a battery pack with a net capacity of 77 kWh. The MEB-based electric van has 201 hp and 310 Nm (229 lb-ft) on tap and will have an electronically governed top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h).

Production in Hannover, Germany will commence in the first half of the year, with the first units to be delivered in Europe this fall. The US will only get the passenger model, scheduled to arrive in 2023.

Source: Bjørn Nyland / YouTube

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The production-ready ID Buzz is 4712 mm long, 1985 mm wide (without mirrors), and 1937 mm tall (1938 mm for the cargo model). It has a wheelbase stretching at 2988 mm and a load sill measuring 619 mm for the five-seat model and 623 mm for the three-seat cargo flavor. The luggage area measures up to 1,121 liters for the passenger model while the cargo variant has over 3.9 m³. The latter comes with a partition wall.

It will initially be offered with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive layout and 201 horsepower (150 kilowatts) and 310 Newton-meters (229 pound-feet). The VW ID Buzz gets the 82-kWh battery with a net capacity of 77 kWh, but details regarding the range are not available at this point. We do know a bigger pack will follow later on to help the electric van cover longer distances. In addition, bidirectional charging will be supported.

The top speed is electronically limited to 90 mph (145 km/h) and the turning circle is a little over 11 meters. Wheel size varies from 18 to 21 inches. As all other ID models sold by VW, the new Buzz is based on the MEB platform shared with the Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born, and the Audi Q4 E-Tron. A more powerful all-wheel-drive model with a front-mounted electric motor and a total of around 300 hp could happen by using the hardware installed in the ID.5 GTX.

Production of both the passenger and cargo versions will commence at the plant in Hannover in the first half of 2022 and sales will begin in Europe this fall. In the United States where VW will only sell the former variant, the ID Buzz will be available later on in 2023. Further down the line, a camper derivative dubbed California is set to arrive, but not before 2025.

Source: Volkswagen

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In an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session organized on Reddit, none other than CEO Herbert Diess was asked by a VW ID4 owner when he’ll be able to power his house using the crossover’s battery. The 63-year-old executive mentioned bidirectional charging will be added later this year to all ID models provided they’re fitted with the 77-kWh battery. He was referring to the net capacity of the largest battery (82 kWh gross) currently installed in the MEB models.

Not only will newly built models such as the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.5 receive this feature, but also existing cars courtesy of an over-the-air update. Unfortunately, Herbert Diess did not respond to a follow-up question about whether other MEB-based electric vehicles sold by different VW Group brands will gain this function. However, it seems highly probable vehicles such as the Audi Q4 E-Tron, Skoda Enyaq, and Cupra Born will receive bidirectional charging sooner or later since they all share the same dedicated EV architecture.

The news shared by the VW Group’s head honcho couldn’t come at a better time considering the ID Buzz will premiere on March 9. The reason we are bringing this up is that the electric revival of the Microbus will spawn a camper variant as the “California.” Future owners of the outdoorsy derivative will find bidirectional charging useful as they’ll be able to power various appliances.

Herbert Diess specified only vehicle-to-home charging will be available at first, meaning “you can run your dishwasher with electricity from abroad.” Support for vehicle-to-vehicle charging will likely be added at a later date.

Source: Reddit

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To date, more than 80,000 units have been sold and many are happy to hear the VW e-up! is officially back. Previously, delivery times rose to as much as 16 months, prompting the company to stop taking new orders at the end of 2020. Even though no new orders were accepted in 2021, production of the diminutive EV continued, with 30,800 delivered in its domestic market last year. That made it the second best-selling car without a combustion engine in Germany.

VW is happy to report it has cleared out the backlog and is now accepting new orders for the e-up! Style Plus. In Germany, customers are eligible for a €9,570 discount courtesy of the environmental and innovation premium. That brings down the asking price to just €17,325, thus making the small EV ideal for cheap zero-emission motoring around town.

Power is provided by a single electric motor developing 83 hp (61 kW) and 210 Nm (155 lb-ft). It has a battery pack with a net capacity of 32.2 kWh, providing enough juice for a maximum range in the WLTP cycle of 258 kilometers (160 miles). You need to wait 60 minutes to charge the battery to 80% provided you’re charging at 40 kW. Alternatively, it takes a little over four hours to complete the task at a charging power of 7.2 kW.

As standard, the 2022 VW e-up! Style Plus rides on 15-inch alloy wheels and comes nicely equipped with a leather steering wheel and automatic climate control. You also get lane departure warning along with a plug & play functionality to turn your smartphone into the vehicle’s infotainment system. There are several paint schemes to choose from, including two-tone finishes with a contrasting black roof.

Sold exclusively with a five-door body style, the reborn e-up! can be optionally fitted with larger 16-inch wheels, but bear in mind this will have a negative impact on range. At an additional cost, the Winter Package adds heated front seats, electrically adjustable and heated mirrors as well as body-colored door handles and mirror caps.

There’s also a Comfort Package encompassing automatic headlights with Coming & Leaving Home function, along with automatic windscreen wipers and height-adjustable front seats. You can even order a Smoker’s Package with a cigarette lighter and a removable ashtray. Another option is to get four extra folding keys.

Initially available in Germany, the 2022 VW e-up! Style Plus will be gradually reintroduced in other European markets.

Source: Volkswagen

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