Memperluas barisan kenderaan elektrik berprestasi tinggi, Volkswagen memperkenalkan ID.Buzz GTX, sebuah van elektrik sporty yang direka untuk keluarga yang selalu tergesa-gesa. Membina kejayaan model elektrik VW sebelum ini seperti ID.4 dan ID.5 GTX, serta ID.3 GTX dan ID.7 GTX Tourer terbaru, tawaran terbaharu daripada bahagian Kenderaan Komersial VW ini membawa versi yang lebih berkuasa Microbus ikonik ke pasaran Eropah.
ID.Buzz GTX didatangkan dengan pacuan semua roda yang dikuasakan oleh dua motor elektrik. Pelanggan boleh memilih antara versi jarak roda standard dengan bateri 79.0 kilowatt jam atau model jarak roda yang lebih panjang dengan bateri 86.0 kilowatt jam yang lebih besar.
Dilengkapi dengan dwi motor, ID.Buzz GTX memberikan output gabungan 335hp yang membolehkannya memecut dari 0 hingga 100km/j dalam hanya 6.5 saat untuk kedua-dua versi. Van ini mempunyai kelajuan tertinggi terhad secara elektronik iaitu 160km/j.
Dari segi kapasiti menunda, ID.Buzz GTX standard boleh menunda sehingga 1,799kg, manakala model jarak roda yang lebih panjang dengan bateri yang lebih besar boleh menunda kurang sedikit pada 1,599kg. Walaupun angka tork gabungan khusus tidak disediakan, Volkswagen menyebut bahawa motor yang dipasang di belakang menyampaikan 560Nm, manakala motor hadapan menyediakan 134Nm.
Kuasa pengecasan bergantung pada saiz bateri, dengan pek yang lebih kecil menyokong 185 kilowatt dan pek yang lebih besar mampu menerima 200 kilowatt. Masa pengecasan adalah cekap, dengan bateri asas memerlukan sekitar 25 minit untuk mengecas dari 10 hingga 80 peratus, manakala yang lebih besar memerlukan kurang daripada 30 minit.
ID.Buzz GTX menerima pelbagai peningkatan penggayaan, termasuk bumper yang direka bentuk semula, gril honeycomb dan cat Cherry Red yang menarik perhatian. Ia juga dilengkapi dengan roda 19-inci standard, dengan dua set pilihan aloi 21-inci tersedia. Lampu bawah yang unik, aksen gelap, tajuk hitam dan tempat duduk sporty membezakan lagi ID.Buzz GTX.
Di dalam, ID.Buzz GTX menampilkan skrin sentuh 12.9 inci yang lebih besar sedikit, head-up display pilihan dan peluncur sentuh bercahaya untuk kawalan AC dan kelantangan. Model jarak roda panjang menawarkan bumbung matahari panoramik pilihan yang boleh bertukar daripada legap kepada lutsinar dengan satu sentuhan butang.
Bersedia untuk memasuki pasaran Eropah pada bulan Jun, Volkswagen ID.Buzz GTX menawarkan gabungan prestasi, serba boleh dan reka bentuk moden yang disesuaikan dengan keperluan keluarga masa kini.
Expanding its successful high-performance EV lineup, Volkswagen unveils the ID.Buzz GTX, a sporty electric van designed for families who are in a hurry. Following the footsteps of the ID.4 and ID.5 GTX models, as well as the recent ID.3 GTX and ID.7 GTX Tourer, this latest addition from VW’s Commercial Vehicles division promises a more potent iteration of the iconic Microbus for European markets.
The ID.Buzz GTX comes standard with all-wheel drive, powered by two electric motors. Customers can opt for either a standard-wheelbase version with a 79.0-kilowatt-hour battery or a longer-wheelbase model featuring a higher 86.0-kilowatt-hour usable energy content.
With dual motors, the ID.Buzz GTX delivers a combined output of 335hp, enabling a swift sprint to 100km/h in just 6.5 seconds for both versions. The van boasts an electronically limited top speed of 160km/h.
For towing capabilities, the standard ID.Buzz GTX can tow up to 1,799kg, while the longer-wheelbase model with the larger battery is slightly less at 1,599kg. Although specific combined torque figures are not provided, Volkswagen mentions that the rear-mounted motor delivers 560Nm, while the front motor provides 134Nm.
Charging power varies depending on the battery size, with the smaller pack supporting 185 kilowatts and the upgraded pack capable of accepting 200 kilowatts. Charging times are efficient, with the base battery requiring approximately 25 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 per cent, while the larger one needs less than 30 minutes.
The ID.Buzz GTX receives various styling enhancements, including redesigned bumpers, a honeycomb grille, and striking Cherry Red paint. It also features standard 19-inch wheels, with two optional sets of 21-inch alloys available. Unique boomerang-shaped lower lights, dark accents, a black headliner, and sporty seats further distinguish the ID.Buzz GTX.
Inside, the van boasts a slightly larger touchscreen which is 12.9 inches, a new optional head-up display, and illuminated touch sliders for the AC and volume controls. The long-wheelbase model offers an optional panoramic sunroof that transitions from opaque to transparent at the touch of a button.
Set to go on sale in Europe this June, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz GTX promises a blend of performance, versatility, and modern design tailored to today’s discerning families.
Developing new car designs is a challenge as the designers have to anticipate trends and look ahead to market needs. They may have new ideas and features, but how will car-buyers respond? To get an idea of how people feel, concept cars are built and displayed to show proposed designs so feedback can be collected. From what they learn, they can know what appeals and what doesn’t and create a winner with the next new model.
These days, it’s not necessary to spend money making a concept model as digital renderings can provide very realistic representations. Furthermore, it’s not even necessary to display the cars in physical form (though it is still done at motorshows to draw crowds). There is now social media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – where millions of consumers can be reached and their opinions collected.
Recently, during World Design Day, Volkswagen Group Design boss Klaus Zyciora posted just one image of an idea on his Instagram page (and also the Volkswagen Group’s) and wrote: “On the way from an idea to production, there are a lot of unseen design drafts made – like this one: An #IDBuzz pick-up! What do you think about it?”. His post immediately went global and his team must still be going through all the comments posted.
The pick-up derivative of the just-launched ID. Buzz, the 21st century electric successor to the iconic Transporter/Kombi, is just a proposal. The design is not based on the production ID. Buzz but draws more on the original concept of the model that was first shown in 2017.
ID. Buzz BEV (battery-electric vehicle) which will go on sale in Europe later this year. The new Amarok undergoing testing. It is more of a workhorse type of pick-up whereas the proposal for the ID. Buzz variant would be towards lifestyle activities and usage.
It would undoubtedly sit on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform for electric vehicles which has been developed to accept many bodystyles. In fact, even before the ID. Buzz goes on sale in Europe later this year, the carmaker has said that work is being done on a ‘California Camper’ version (shown below) as well as an autonomous variant for ride-sharing operators. Both are expected to enter the market in 2025.
Volkswagen already has a new generation of the Amarok pick-up truck on the way, with a battery-electric version likely to appear in the second half of the decade. The Amarok is a workhorse vehicle and Volkswagen may see some potential in the lifestyle segment where it can offer this ID. Buzz pick-up.
Volkswagen’s designers have always been thinking of a modern pick-up based on the Transporter. This was one idea which was displayed at the carmaker’s Autostadt exhibition complex in Germany in 2006.
Clearly, it is not being conceived as a workhorse and would be aimed at customers who want to take along their activity gear like bikes or surfboards, just like the original Transporter (except the surfboards went on the roof).
Many of the styling elements would be just ideas for now so it’s hard to say how the final product could look like but the proportions of the 4-door cabin and short rear deck will probably be adopted. Below the doors appears to be integrated side-steps which could also make it to production as they suit the overall design well.
Volkswagen has produced a pick-up version of the Transporter/Kombi for decades.
The idea of a pick-up variant of a van is not new to Volkswagen as previous Transporter generations did have such a variant. Like the MEB platform, the original platform for the Beetle was also versatile enough for different bodystyles. One of them, known as the ‘Doppelkabine’, may eventually be regarded as the grandfather of the ID. Buzz pick-up if it does make it to the showrooms in future.
If you would like Volkswagen ‘s design head to know what you think about the pick-up concept, click here to post your comments on his Instagram page.
Thhe Beetle was Volkswagen’s first car and the company brought it back in a modern form in 1997. Now it is doing the same thing with the brand’s second model which was the Type 1 Transporter produced from 1949 onwards. It was actually on an extended Beetle platform and like the iconic car, remained in production for a long time. However, the Transporter, unlike the original Beetle, evolved in its design right to the current 6th generation.
With demand for MPVs in many countries, Volkswagen decided that one of the models in its all-electric ID. family would have to be such a vehicle, and for inspiration, the designers looked all the way back to the Type 2 which had various names in different markets (just like the Beetle). The original Transporter was especially popular in America and was one of the symbols of the 1960s counter-culture movement.
Evolution of the Transporter from 1949.The Transporter was Volkswagen’s second model and used the same platform as the Beetle.
Its low cost and simplicity made it easily affordable by the hippies who would live in it and gave the vehicles a lot of character with creative paintwork. And with the same durability as a Beetle, it lasted a long time with minimal maintenance too.
In 2022, the Type 1 returns as the ID.Buzz and it is fully electric. Like other ID. models, the ID. Buzz used the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). This is the world’s first scalable mass production platform for fully-electric vehicles that can be configured for different models and segments. Its architecture allows for an evolutionary further development of software and technology, which not only benefits new models such as the ID. Buzz, but also models that have already been delivered, by means of over-the-air updates.
The iconic design
The unique design of the ID. Buzz has proportions that create a direct link with the original classic vehicle. Another feature that has always been typical of the model line is the iconic front with its V-shaped front panel, now flanked by charismatic LED headlights. The same goes for the optional 2- paintwork.
The ID. Buzz and commercially-oriented ID. Buzz Cargo have a long wheelbase of 2988 mm, roughly the same as that of the current 6th generation Transporter. The length of both versions is 4712 mm which means that, in relation to the overall length, the wheelbase is unusually long. This has allowed for more flexible packaging within, complementing the cubic shape which is ideal for maximising available space.
Function should get a priority over design and in the case of the ID.Buzz, it’s the first MPV that has a drag coefficient comparable to a car’s – 0.285 to 0.29 (ID.Buzz Cargo). Good aerodynamics are important, especially for an electric vehicle so that the motor can work less hard to maintain a desired speed. Of course, it’s the same with cars with combustion engines too as less wind resistance means less energy consumed and more fuel saved.
And talking of energy, the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo will have a 77 kWh lithium-ion battery pack to power a 150 kW electric motor, which – as the flat engine once did in the Type 2 – drives the rear axle. The position of the battery, integrated deep down in the sandwich floor, and the lightweight electric drive system result in a good distribution of weight and a low vehicle centre of gravity. Both factors optimise the handling and agility.
The battery pack can be charged from wallboxes or public charging stations using 11 kW alternating current (AC). Via a CCS plug connector at a DC rapid-charging station (direct current), the charging power can be as much as 170 kW. When charged in this way, the battery charge level rises from 5% to 80% in about 30 minutes.
For the ID.Buzz, the interior has been given a lounge-like, friendly ambience for 5 people to enjoy travelling. The spacious cabin maximizes utility and comfort, while dazzling with high-tech features and an interplay of colours and materials.
The cockpit is both high-tech and ergonomic with a 10-inch Digital Cockpit display and 10-inch or 12-inch infotainment/navigation system positioned centrally in the dashboard. Both the Digital Cockpit and infotainment system are connected with the instrument panel only at the bottom, looking like free-floating tablets. Beneath the infotainment system is a control bar with digital buttons and touch sliders.
A love for detail is reflected in the stylized vehicle silhouette that is embossed in the lower side seat trim, and the fold-down tables located in the backs of the front seats. Wholly practical, by contrast, is the optional height-adjustable cargo floor, which creates a level load space surface. The upward-opening rear hatch reveals 1,121 litres of luggage space and 2 side sliding doors are fitted as standard.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has developed an optional movable and removable centre console specifically for the ID. Buzz. The idea for this multifunction box was derived from the concept car shown earlier. In its upper section, it provides storage bins (in the case of the ID. Buzz Cargo, a cupholder), that can accommodate bottle, tablets or laptops.
As with other models of ID. family, the ID. Buzz comes with the interactive ‘ID. Light’. It stretches across in front of the windscreen in the driver’s field of vision above the instrument panel, and gives the driver intuitive information based on the colour and position of the light signal. For example, a signal in the right-hand area of the strip advises of obstructions in this area or corresponds with a navigation instruction to change lanes. When the ‘ID. Light’ goes red, it is signaling danger and the need to brake.
The hippies of the 1960s would love the ambient lighting feature – as standard, there are 10 colours and customers can also specify the 30-colour option. This option lights up a strip in the instrument panel, the decorative strips in the doors, the storage bins in the doors and the footwell. The Digital Cockpit and the infotainment system also take on the chosen base shade. In addition, two colours can be combined in each case for the different zones, and a ‘Mood Menu’ activates preconfigured lighting profiles.
Depending on the specifications chosen by importers in different markets, there is the possibility of a 6-seat configuration, with individual seats arranged in 3 rows of two. On the extended wheelbase version, there can be a 7-seat configuration in a 2/3/2 arrangement.
The ID. Buzz Cargo is what in Malaysia would be referred to as a ‘panel van’, strictly for commercial registration and use. In standard form, this version can accommodate 3 persons in front on a bench seat. An individual seat can also be installed for another passenger.
Behind the seats is a fixed partition, separating off the cargo space which has no windows. The cargo space has a volume of 3.9 cubic metres and has rings on the floor and bars on the walls for securing goods. Besides a wide-opening tailgate, the is one sliding door on the passenger side and customers can also specify a second sliding door on the other side as an option.
The ID.Buzz will go on sale in the third quarter of this year in some European markets. North America will see the extended wheelbase version in 2023 and deliveries will start in 2024. As for the rest of the world, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has not indicated when exports will start.
Over 70 years ago, a Volkswagen importer in Holland by the name of Ben Pons saw an opportunity to offer customers a versatile vehicle which could be adapted from the platform of the Beetle, then still a young product. He sketched a box like body on top of the Beetle platform and suggested it to Volkswagen which agreed to build prototypes. When the public saw the model, simply referred to as ‘T1’, there was great demand and so was born a vehicle that would become an icon in the decades that followed.
The I.D. BUZZ concept in 2017 with the original Microbus Kombi T1.
The original multi-purpose vehicle
It came to have various names – Kombi, Transporter, Caravelle, among them – and found use in numerous roles from people-carrier to goods transporter. In America, it was a ‘Microbus’ and became one of the symbols of the counter-culture movement there. Its low cost and simplicity made it easily affordable by the hippies who would live in it and gave the vehicles a lot of character with creative paintwork.
The original rounded form evolved into a more cubic shape with the third generation in 1979 and in 1983, the air-cooled engine was replaced by a water-cooled unit. The current generation is the T6 which was introduced in 2015 and continues to be a popular model in the midsize van segment.
Part of ID. family of EVs
However, with the trend towards electrification, Volkswagen has had to think of how to continue this iconic model with a zero emission powerplant. Its answer is a model known as the Buzz, which will be part of the ID. family of battery electric vehicles BEVs. The model, to be unveiled early next month, was shown in 2017 as the BUZZ concept and it received sufficient positive feedback that it was approved for production.
Prototypes have been driven on public roads for many months as part of the final phase of the development program before unveiling next month.
Volkswagen will have two versions of the electrically-powered model – the Buzz (a 5-seater) and Buzz Cargo (a van). The designers have transferred the styling of the 2017 concept car to the production version, and it has the design elements of the legendary T1. Those elements include extremely short body overhangs, maximum utilization of space on a minimal footprint, the classic division of the vehicle body design into an upper and lower level, and the V-shaped face. And just like the original, the Buzz also has rear-wheel drive.
The Volkswagen Group MEB platform for battery electric vehicles uses a new generation of battery packs (below).
VW Group MEB platform
The new model line is based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). This uses a high-voltage lithium-ion battery providing gross energy content of 82 kWh, supplying 150 kW to the electric motor integrated in and driving the rear axle. The top speed is electronically limited at 145 km/h but official figures for range are not yet available. Unlike its combustion engine predecessor, the Buzz will be more agile with maximum torque of 310 Nm available when moving off.
Maximum space utilization
The MEB architecture has been designed to be variable and Volkswagen’s engineers have developed a versatile structure that facilitates a wide spectrum of roles – as a 5-seater leisure vehicle as well as a 3-seater cargo transporter. The range will be extended when another variant with a longer wheelbase and more possibilities of interior configurations debuts in 2023.
The standard wheelbase versions (2988 mm) of the Buzz and Buzz Cargo are just 4712 mm long. By way of comparison, the wheelbase of the Buzz is only 2 mm different to that of the current T6, which is 4904 mm long. The Buzz thus offers a similar internal length but is able to use smaller parking spaces. The passenger Buzz, which has a generous greenhouse, is 1937 mm high, which is lower than the T6, and is also 81 mm wider.
The original T1 van was developed from the same platform as the Beetle and was Volkswagen’s second model.
Thanks to the space-saving MEB concept, the two electric vans can offer good space utilization. The Buzz can take up to 1,121 litres of luggage even with all 5 seats occupied. For the Buzz Cargo, there‘s a volume of 3.9 cubic metres behind a partition that separates the front seats.
‘Plug & Charge’ and bi-directional charging
Using the latest ID. software, the model line will in future offer convenient charging methods such as the ‘Plug & Charge’ function. Using this function, the Buzz authenticates itself at many providers’ quick-charging (DC) stations via the charging connector, exchanging all necessary data with it in this way. And there is also the possibility of bi-directional charging which is available in some markets. This technology opens up a whole new spectrum of possibilities, such as the ability to store excess power from a home’s solar panels in the vehicle’s battery pack and to feed it back into the home in the evening.
Like other ID. models, the Buzz can receive software updates over the air (provided there is a connection). These include both updates for the infotainment system and updates relating to charging or driver assist functions. The spectrum of driver-assist systems available across various markets includes innovatively interconnected technologies such as the new ‘Trained Parking’ function (automatic maneuvering into and out of parking spaces); ‘Car2X’ (warnings and hazard alerts in the local vicinity); and the latest version of ‘Travel Assist’ that features crowd=sourced data to facilitate forward and lateral guidance on a partly automated basis across the full speed range.
The model was assembled and sold in Malaysia and used in many roles. Some units are still in use today, their owners turning them into mobile food trucks (below).
