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UPDATE, March 29 2023: Australian timing confirmed for ID models
Volkswagen Australia has today confirmed local launch timing for its ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.Buzz models – get all the details at the links below.
November 2022: ID.4 driven in Australia!
We've now had a chance to drive an overseas ID.4 car in Australia. Get our full story at the link below.
Story continues...
Dec 15: ID Buzz comes to Australia
Volkswagen's ID Buzz has been whisked into Australia for a quick tour, ahead of its local launch in the coming year. Join John Law for a look at its features and space.
UPDATE: Volkswagen ID.Buzz electric van remains on local wish list; early 2024 launch targeted
The all-electric Volkswagen ID.Buzz remains under consideration for Australia, but local executives are hopeful it will arrive in early 2024.
Speaking with media this week, Volkswagen Australia's director of commercial Vehicles, Ryan Davies, said it is "firmly on the wish list".
"The interest on that car has been phenomenal… the one question we get asked everywhere we go is, when are we getting ID.Buzz?"
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"The global demand for that car is extraordinary. There's not going to be any shortage of demand for it in the next few years, but we've put our hand up for a significant amount of volume in Australia.
"We think it suits our market perfectly; Australians have fallen in love with that car already, and we know that especially with [ID.Buzz] and the Cargo, that we can sell a really decent amount of volume that will be attractive to the factory."
Our original story, below, continues unchanged.
May 21: Obi-Wan Kenobi rolls off in ID.Buzz
Following its big reveal in March, the new 2022 Volkswagen ID.Buzz has starred in a clever ad for the upcoming Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
In the video, fan-faves C-3PO and R2D2 (and a new flying disc-shaped droid that reminds me of the 1987 film Batteries Not Included) are seen admiring the new electric people mover, before old mate 'Ben' Kenobi climbs in and rolls quietly away.
It's a fitting bit of product placement, really, because Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor famously owns a 1954 VW Beetle converted to electric power by the wizards at EV West in California, where McGregor lives. He's also a long-time Beetle van, and has featured in a documentary celebrating the iconic car.
Watch the new Star Wars clip below (this isn't sponsored btw, I just live inside a perfect Venn diagram of cars and science fiction), and catch my existing reveal story further down.
2022 Volkswagen ID.Buzz revealed
Snapshot
- ID Buzz revealed in passenger and Cargo forms
- 77kWh battery pack should offer around 500km range
- Australian potential unclear
March 10, 2022: At long last, after years of concepts and will-they-won't-they, one of the most iconic VW models is returned. This is the 2023 Volkswagen ID Buzz.
Okay, so 'ID Buzz' isn't an iconic name, yet, but this new electric commercial van and people-mover duo represents a rebirth of the beloved Kombi and 'Microbus' or 'Bulli' vans that birthed so many myths, legends, and boomer babies.
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Joining Volkswagen's growing ID range (marketed with a full stop as 'ID.'), the ID Buzz was first previewed by the Bulli concept way back in 2011, then the Budd-E in 2015, and finally the eponymous ID Buzz concept in 2017.
It's that last concept with which this final production car shares the most in design – and of course its name – and while the details aren't identical, the 2023 ID Buzz represents a fairly faithful evolution of the concept's look.
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Battery and driving range
As with its legendary progenitor, the ID Buzz will be offered in people-moving and Cargo commercial styles, with the latter form offering all the fun and colourful qualities that made the original so memorable.
Built on Volkswagen's scalable and versatile MEB platform for electric vehicles, the ID Buzz will pack an 82kWh battery pack in its initial launch guise, powered from the rear by a 150kW, 310Nm electric battery.
A driving range figure is still to come, but with that relatively big battery and a single-motor configuration, a number in the neighbourhood of 480 to 520 kilometres would be likely.
More battery and drive configurations will be offered from next year, but Volkswagen has likewise yet to offer details on what we can expect.
Click any of the images in this story to browse our full gallery
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Size and space
In both Cargo and passenger forms, the ID Buzz measures 4712mm long on a 2988mm wheelbase, 1985mm wide and 1937mm tall.
Those figures make the ID Buzz around 190mm shorter in length than the current T6.1 Transporter, but with an identical wheelbase. That combination gives the ID Buzz some pretty short overhangs – again trading on some iconic looks, without straight-up replicating the original.
The ID Buzz is also a notable 81mm wider than the T6.1 van.
"We very consciously ensured that we were not making another T1," says Jozef Kabaň, Head of Volkswagen Design. "The ID. Buzz shows that it is successfully transferring the genes and stylistic elements of that iconic vehicle into the digital era."
The passenger model gets sliding doors on both sides, and Volkswagen claims 1121 litres of storage space with the sliding and 60:40 split-folding second row of the exclusively five-seater configuration in its upright position, expanding to 2205 litres when laid flat.
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The Cargo can accommodate two Euro pallets in its rear space.
Inside, the ID Buzz features some familiar contemporary design elements like the modern Volkswagen steering wheel and digital instrument display rather than any sort of unique retro items.
There's also the large 10- or optional 12-inch main infotainment display, which has seen Volkswagen do away with just about every physical button and switch in the cabin.
A long slotted ventilation section runs across the rear of the dash for some retro flair, while the overall look of the dash and door panels – particularly with the two-tone colouring in passenger models – works to recreate some vintage vibes.
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You won't find any leather in the ID Buzz, with this new era leaning instead to synthetic options and, in some parts, recycled materials.
For the steering wheel, that's polyurethane, and for the seats there's a Seaqual fabric which is described as being made from collected ocean plastic (10 per cent) and recycled PET bottles (90 per cent).
The commercial variant, or at least those pictured here, take on a more hard-wearing all-business black design inside, along with more conventional air-conditioning ports.
Click any of the images in this story to browse our full gallery
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Colour options include Candy White, Mono Silver, Lime Yellow, Starlight Blue, Energetic Orange, Bay Leaf Green and Deep Black.
Those are available in single-colour options or, if you prefer, a two-tone choice can see Candy White applied to the top half of Lime Yellow, Starlight Blue, Energetic Orange and Bay Leaf Green bodies. (Silver presumably doesn't show a bold enough contrast to bother offering it.)
Wheel designs vary from 18- to 21-inch options, although lower-end passenger variants, and all Cargo variants, will get 18-inch steelies.
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Will the Volkswagen ID Buzz come to Australia?
At the time of writing, there is no official confirmation of the ID Buzz coming to Australia.
As with the rest of the electric ID range, the ID Buzz remains a wish-list item for Volkswagen's Australian arm.
The company has previously pointed to a lack of meaningful incentives and federal support for EVs – along with high demand in Europe – as the main obstacle to bringing its battery-powered offerings to Australia.
Click any of the images in this story to browse our full gallery
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