Volkswagen has decided that June 2 will forever more known as International Volkswagen Bus Day, a holiday it has created as much to celebrate the Type 2 as to unveil its spiritual successor, the three-row ID. Buzz.
“Whether you call them Buses, Bullis or Kombis, the legacy Type 2s have left on modern culture is unmatched,” said Cameron Batten, Chief Communications Officer, Volkswagen Group of America. “As we continue to introduce the T2’s 21st Century electric successor, the ID. Buzz, we’re thrilled to create this annual day of celebration for Volkswagen bus fans and enthusiasts everywhere.”
Although the short wheelbase version of the ID. Buzz has been on sale in Europe for some time, Americans will have to wait until 2024 before they can drive the EV. That’s because VW will only sell the longer wheelbase, three-row version of the vehicle in the market.
Read: VW ID. Buzz Long-Wheelbase Spied As A Maxi Electric Microbus
To celebrate the inaugural Volkswagen Bus Day, and the launch of the new version of the ID. Buzz, the brand will host a global reveal event in Huntington Beach, California. The event will be both a media event and a public-facing show.
Volkswagen plans to host streamed programming, a “Cars & Coffee” style event for owners of the VW microbus, and live entertainment, featuring noted Type 2 collector and comedian, Gabriel Iglesias.
Meanwhile, International Volkswagen Bus Day will be officially recognized by the National Day Calendar, an organization that tracks light-hearted, celebratory days such as this one. The automaker says that it hopes the day will be a chance for microbus and ID. Buzz fans to celebrate their vehicles for years to come.
Although VW has shared few details relating to the new ID. Buzz variant, the existing model has an 82 kWh battery pack that can get it up to 263 miles (423 km) away from where it started on a single charge. With more space for batteries, we expect both of those figure to rise with the long wheelbase version. The automaker has also hinted that the new model could get more power than the existing model, which tops out at 201 hp (150 kW / 204 PS) and 229 lb-ft (310 Nm) of torque.