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A camping version of the all-electric VW ID.Buzz won’t launch soon due to a lack of demand for such a vehicle. That’s disappointing news for any VW California enthusiasts out there who had hoped they would soon be able to venture out into the wilderness while enjoying the peace and serenity of an EV.
The company’s sales and marketing chief, Lars Krause, spoke about the prospect of an ID.Buzz California camper at the recent Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles annual press conference. He denied a claim from last year that the project was delayed because the vehicle’s weight would require drivers to hold a higher-category driving license. He then stated that there simply aren’t enough customers looking for such a vehicle.
“This is of course something that we have in our minds, since this car is iconic,” Krause said. “The ID.Buzz is iconic and of course a potential ID.Buzz California would be iconic. I can tell you we always start from the market, and looking at the market figures and looking closely at our customers, it turned out that the need for these types of vehicles – BEV-driven campers – is not there yet from our perspective.”
Read: 335 HP VW ID.Buzz GTX Is A Hot Hatch-Chasing Hippie Hauler
This doesn’t mean an ID.Buzz California will remain the stuff of dreams forever, Autocar notes. Krause said VW expects to see demand for such a vehicle to come in “the second half of the decade.”
In the meantime, the updated VW California will cater to shoppers looking for those who want to enjoy the benefits of ICEs and EVs, offering a plug-in hybrid option. This new model was previewed last year with the VW California Concept and should launch with the same powertrain as the T7 Multivan, consisting of a 1.4-liter four-cylinder and an electric motor that deliver 215 hp.
