Bear in mind the road from “Titanic” when Rose is an outdated girl and she or he asks, “It has been 84 years?” With the debut of the united statesspec Volkswagen ID.Buzz that second feels oddly acquainted.
Why did it take so lengthy for the VW Bus to return regardless of ideas teasing us since 2001? Why did manufacturing of the two-row ID.Buzz begin in Europe a yr in the past, and the three-row model of the ID.Buzz was simply unveiled on Friday? Why will not three-row ID.Buzz even arrive within the U.S. for yet one more yr?
We requested Volkswagen executives these very questions. Briefly, timing is all the things and quite a lot of ready was wanted to get issues proper, each for packaging and America. However to some stage, in the event you’re dissatisfied by the dearth of a less complicated, smaller ID.Buzz, you may blame focus teams.
2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Volkswagen ID.Buzz packaging
President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Pablo Di Si advised Inexperienced Automobile Reviews the corporate wished to convey again the bus for a very long time, however the distinctive design pressured quite a lot of wants. The quick overhangs and crucial packaging to make these occur meant the bus could not come again as a gas-powered van, relatively it wanted to be electrical. The automaker has been ready for the second to be proper.
Focus teams in America advised VW they are not within the shorter two-row mannequin the remainder of the world has had for a yr, in line with Di Si. The lengthy wheelbase three-row mannequin is it. The staff wanted time to stretch the wheelbase practically 10 inches, add in a 3rd row, and match a bigger 91-kwh battery pack (vs. the two-row’s 82-kwh pack). Three-row fashions additionally obtain a extra highly effective rear motor with 282 hp and dual-motor fashions may have about 330 hp.
The regulatory market variations additionally took time. The lighting on the U.S.-spec three-row mannequin is totally different and there are actually eight USB-C ports contained in the ID.Buzz (for America), famous Kai Grunitz, head of R&D for the VW passenger automobile model.
2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Volkswagen ID.Buzz electrical structure
However VW did not want a full two years to make the ID.Buzz longer and add a 3rd row. Revising lighting does not take that lengthy both. Shopper suggestions in regards to the ID.4 ended up dictating what VW needed to do earlier than the ID.Buzz even arrived.
Di Si advised GCR the most important criticism of the ID.4 crossover SUV from prospects is the infotainment system.
Though the ID.Buzz carries over its MEB platform from the ID.4, albeit with totally different dimensions, it options extra reminiscence and new CPUs powering their interface vs. the ID.4. The interface is new, the voice assistant is reprogrammed, and the infotainment system’s working on some new {hardware} versus the present Euro-spec mannequin’s system. Grunitz mentioned it’s going to take seconds from startup to begin navigation within the ID.Buzz.
Grunitz famous that when the ID.Buzz launches the system must be excellent. There is no quantity knob, however the touch-based quantity and local weather management sliders are actually backlit for the ID.Buzz not like the ID.4.
These options, together with expanded over-the-air replace capabilities, are all making their debut within the ID.7 hatchback forward of the ID.Buzz.
2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Di Si admitted some errors had been made with the ID.4. Whereas the automaker works to right these by updates they are not trying to make those self same fumbles with the ID.7, and particularly not with the ID.Buzz. The ID.7 will function the launch level to make sure any points are utterly resolved with the brand new software program and {hardware} earlier than the ID.Buzz arrives within the third quarter of 2024.
