Volkswagen has announced big plans for electric vehicles lately, hoping to absolve itself of dieselgate sins. But so far, most of the company's plans have been just that: plans. Now they've taken a big step forward, confirming that they are building the I.D. Buzz, an electric mini-minivan, with styling based strongly on the classic T1 and T2 Microbus.
The news was confirmed by VW Chair Herbert Diess, speaking to Auto Express last week. At the launch of the new Polo, Diess told them that "emotional cars are very important for the brand. We are selling loads of Beetles still, particularly in US markets. But we will also have the Microbus that we showed, which we have recently decided we will build."
The I.D. Buzz concept is an electric van, built on VW's new MEB platform. Volkswagen has previously said that that platform would be capable of a 435 km range, with up to 600 km possible. It has two electric motors mounted under the floor and 369 hp with all-wheel drive.
This is the second confirmed I.D. model. The first was just called the I.D., and it was unveiled at the Paris auto show last fall. It was claimed to have 167 hp and a 300 km range. VW says both I.D. models will have the ability to have fully autonomous modes.
The third car that VW has shown with an I.D. badge is the Crozz. That concept was for an SUV-style vehicle. It hasn't been confirmed for production, with VW calling it a "concrete example of what might be seen in 2020."
The smaller I.D. show car is scheduled for a 2020 production date. No anticipated date was given for the I.D. Buzz. The new electric vehicles are part of Volkswagen's plans to sell one million electrics by 2025.
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