The VW Microbus is the vehicle that is synonymous with the 1960s/1970s hippie era, and it’s about to make a big comeback as an electric vehicle.
We’ve been eagerly waiting for the Volkswagen ID.Buzz – a modern electric take on the original and iconic VW microbus – and now it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer.
Although it just appeared as a full production model after a widely publicized concept version was released a few years ago, it likely now won’t hit showrooms for at least another year. Word on the street is that the Volkswagen ID Buzz will go on sale in the U.S. in 2023 as a 2024 model. The production model ID.Buzz electric VW van looks similar to the concept, but with some key differences.
Among them, according to Motor Trend magazine: real headlights, door handles, and side mirrors.
For its part, VW says that more information about the ID Buzz will be revealed at the beginning of 2022. (We’ll be sure to update you!)
What we know so far is that the 2024 ID.Buzz will be offered as a long-wheelbase passenger van. Europe will get other versions of the same bus, including a cargo van without windows for commercial use.
The U.S. model is expected to come in a base rear-wheel-drive single-motor powertrain that offers about 200 horsepower and an upgrade all-wheel-drive dual-motor version that churns out around 300 hp. (The original model made just 25 horsepower!)
It’s expected to offer an even bigger battery pack than the Volkswagen ID.4 SUV, which provides up to 260 miles of range.
The ID.Buzz is one of a slew of electric vehicles based on the MEB chassis, which is being shared by Volkswagen’s ID series cars/SUVs along with EVs from other brands such as Audi.
The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is a modular, fully electric platform that has two different versions: one for passenger cars and another for utility vehicles. It is inspired by the German automaker’s iconic Type 2 Microbus – aka the “VW Bus” – but in a very high-tech, electric-vehicle kind of way.
Starting at an estimated $40,000, the 2024 VW ID. Buzz will be an all-new van for the electric era. Along with that all-electric powertrain and expected 300 miles of driving range, it has flexible and super cool seating configurations.
Just like the original generations, the ID. Buzz will offer you plenty of space for passengers or cargo, with an abundance of windows and resulting natural light. There’s even a “front trunk” that was also featured in the original VW Beetle van.
This electric van has plenty of room for friends, pets, and luggage – and a variety of ways to use the interior. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo’s battery capacity starts at 48 kWh and can be increased to 110 kWh, according to Car and Driver.
The innovative van features a highly adaptable three rows of seats that can be spun around laid down or removed completely if you’re hosting your own be-in. This means you can sleep in it, eat in it, chill in it. The movable center console slides forward and back on a track and contains a table. And somehow designers even saved room for a trunk.
The VW ID. Buzz was designed to recall the original Type 2 Microbus without copying it. The front V in the body harkens back to the two-tone early version. But the ID. Buzz features design elements such as a light strip that surrounds the vehicle and gives it a futuristic visual appeal. The LED headlights have hexagonal segments that act as “eyes” to communicate the vehicle’s status.
We think it will be worth the wait!
