Volkswagen ID Buzz Concept To Enter Production

German carmaker Volkswagen has confirmed that ID Buzz Concept microbus unveiled at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show in January.

Speaking to AutoExpress at the unveiling of the all-new sixth-generation Polo hatchback in Berlin, Germany, VW boss Herbert Diess stated, "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 Volkswagen ID Buzz sports a one-box retro design inspired by the original VW Microbus which was extremely popular in the US during the 1960s and 70s.

The ID Buzz concept retains the boxy looks of the old Microbus but updates them with the help of LED headlights and taillights, an illuminated VW badge along a wraparound LED strip. The electric MPV sits on 22-inch wheels.

Built on Volkswagen's new MEB platform for electric cars the ID BUZZ will be the figurehead for Volkswagen's upcoming Uber rival, MOIA. The MEB platform allows for the two electric motors and the 111kWh battery pack to sit beneath the floor maximising space while sending 369bhp to the road. The ID Buzz has a range of up to 600 kilometres on a single charge.

DriveSpark Thinks!

Volkswagen claims that the ID Buzz will be good enough for a sprint from 0-100km/h in 5 seconds and a top speed of 159km/h. Unfortunately, since VW also claims that the ID Buzz is the world's first fully autonomous multi-purpose vehicle.

While autonomous tech is all well and good, those of us prefer to drive will feel that the ID Buzz is the start of Skynet, as it tries to terminate the joy of deriving. Let's hope that the day the Buzz and its contemporaries arrive on the road is still some time away.