Volkswagen has big plans for the all-electric ID. Buzz and wants to be selling 120,000 units annually.
The ID. Buzz was unveiled in early March some five years after it was first showcased as a concept. It is underpinned by VW’s modular MEB platform and while it has only so far been shown in a single passenger guise and in ID. Buzz Cargo form, the range of models will grow in the future with the inclusion of a California camper version and, in all likelihood, a higher-performance GTX model.
Volkswagen’s chief executive for VW Passenger Cars Ralf Brandstätter revealed the automaker’s sales targets for the ID. Buzz during VW’s annual media conference. He described it as “the most emotional member of the ID. Family” and said that it “has what it takes to become a bestseller.”
Read More: New VW ID. Buzz Unveiled As A Delicious Microbus EV In Both Passenger And Cargo Van Flavors
The standard-wheelbase model unveiled by VW earlier this month will go on sale in Europe in the third quarter of this year. It will initially be offered in a five-seat configuration but a six-seat, three-row version based on this standard-wheelbase model will also be produced at a later date. Launching in Europe in 2023 will be a long-wheelbase version of the ID. Buzz complete with seven seats in a 2/3/2 configuration.
European sales of the ID. Buzz Cargo are expected to start at the same time. It will be offered with either two individual front seats or a driver’s seat with a two-seat passenger bench. Interested shoppers in the U.S. will have to wait until 2024 before they can get their hands on the extended-wheelbase model.
Initial models are fitted with an 82 kWh battery driving an electric motor with 201 hp and 229 lb-ft (310 Nm) of torque driving the rear wheels. European models also have a “bi-directional” charging feature that can feed power back into the grid.
