Volkswagen ID Buzz-based California camper confirmed

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.

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Volkswagen has confirmed it will build a new ID California campervan based on the upcoming ID Buzz combi.

The news comes after Volkswagen detailed a $140 billion electrification strategy that will see it ramp up electric car manufacturing. Part of this plan is the current construction of a new facility in Hanover, Germany, where the ID Buzz and ID California will be produced.

In the interim, the VW T7 Multivan and the last of the T6.1 Transporter will be made ahead of the new ID models. Volkswagen Group also plans to send the first model of the new Audi Artemis Project down the Hanover production line, along with a new electric car from Bentley.

UPDATE, Dec 15 2022: 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.

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The ID California will ride on the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB EV platform that underpins ID cars like the ID 3 and 4, and it should have a driving range of up to around 550km from 48kWh to 111kWh battery options.

While that’s good enough to get away from the city, those who need more range will need to charge between stops and rapid charging will shorten the wait.

The ID Buzz, which will share much of the same components, will likely have an even longer range given it won’t be decked out with the beds and kitchenette that a camper needs.

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A variety of powertrains are on the table, too, from entry-level front-wheel drive version with around 150kW, to more capable all-wheel drive dual-motor layouts that could have over 300kW and sportier performance.

But such a camper won’t be focussed on performance, with the retro-styled electric flashback to the original 1950s Type 2 model combining the enjoyment of being in the great outdoors with clean-motoring, or as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles says in a more clinical way, “it will combine the ongoing trend towards mobile leisure arrangements with sustainable CO2-neutral mobility.”

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No details have been divulged, but Volkswagen expects the ID Buzz to go into production early next year and we should see the California begin to be teased ahead of a launch in “the second half of this decade”.

Deliveries into other markets for the ID Buzz are expected from 2023 but in Australia, Volkswagen Group is focusing its electrification efforts first with Cupra, so we won’t be seeing the ID California anytime soon.