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Next Year, This Minivan Will Buzz You Around and You'll Love It

Launching a new product is difficult for any carmaker and, when the new model is considered a successor of an iconic vehicle, it's even worse, and makes the top brass fear for their seats in the high-tower. And the next Volkswagen Bulli is the right example of that.
Volkswagen I.D.4 Story 26 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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After the end of WWII, the German carmaker restarted car production under British management with the 1200. Slowly and surely, Volkswagen started to put more cars on the roads, not only in Germany but all over the world. In the U.S., the car was known as the Beetle. In other places it was known as the Bug, Coccinelle, or Kaffer. Then, based on the same platform designed by Ferdinand Porsche, Volkswagen built the Transporter, or T1. It was intended to be a utility vehicle, but people loved it for being such a great minivan. Soon, it became a symbol of freedom.

Like its sibling, it received different (nick)names, such as Bulli, T1, or even Tostadora, in some regions of South America. It was yet another vehicle that people fell in love with, and many children were born thanks to that vehicle. It was a utility vehicle, a camper, a home, or a shelter. And, moreover, it became famous worldwide. But then it was changed and became the Transporter/Multivan we know today. It lost its appeal somewhere along the way, and Volkswagen wants that back. Badly!

In 2001, at the North American International Auto Show, Volkswagen introduced the Microbus Concept, and it was a revelation. People recognized it instantly as the successor for the former T1. But that hype didn't last too long since the bean-counters believed it was not the right time for such a vehicle. Maybe they were right since the SUV-era was rising, and the carmaker focused on that segment.

2001 Volkswagen Microbus concept
Photo: Volkswagen
Then, in 2016, at CES in Las Vegas, the German carmaker unveiled the Budd-e Concept. Unlike the 2001 Microbus, it was powered by a motor instead of a V6 engine. Yet, the design was far from what people expected from the T1 successor. Sure, it won a prize for its interior design, but the exterior was far from what it was supposed to be. It looked more like an expanded Japanese kei-car, so it was soon hidden away in Volkswagen's storage. But then, in 2017, everything changed with the I.D. Buzz.

Like the Budd-e concept, the I.D. Buzz features an electric drivetrain. In addition, the carmaker fixed the exterior and gave the vehicle a smiling face. Its LED daytime running lights surround the headlights, and the V-shaped line that crosses the front fascia resembles a smiling face, while the chromed badge sits right where the nose should be.

Thanks to the cab-forward design, the carmaker created a roomy interior. It will be roomy enough for arranging a camper layout with a folding bed or expandable rear bench. Also, let's not forget that the pop-up camper was a common conversion for various VW buses over the years, and the I.D. Buzz cannot make an exception from that.

In 2018, at the L.A. Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the cargo version for the I.D. Buzz and in 2019, it crossed the U.S. from Los Angeles to New York in a Nike-branded blue vehicle. While it was not a production version yet, it proved that it could run for long distances. Also, let's not forget that the carmaker already has the ID.4 EV in its lineup, and the Buzz will share a modified MEB platform with that model.

Volkswagen I\.D\.Buzz
Photo: Volkswagen
I'm not a big VW fan, but just by looking at the concept, it's easy to understand that this vehicle will sell in big numbers if the chip-shortage crisis ends soon and the world will restart and recover after the health crisis.

When the German carmaker unveiled the I.D. Buzz at the 2017 NAIAS, it said the production version would come along in a few years - and hold your breath, since the car should arrive in 2022 (at least in Europe), finally ending the road from concept to reality.

We have already seen some spy shots with more or less camo on the bodywork, and we have high hopes that the final version will look pretty close to the concept car. But let's go deeper into how the vehicle will be, according to what we know by now.

The Buzz will have a modified version of the MEB platform dubbed MEB-XL. The base version will feature a rear-wheel drive system, but an all-wheel drive should be available later. Let's not forget that the Transporter also has a version that pulls with all four wheels. Maybe it won't be named Syncro this time, since the 4Motion nameplate is known better.

Like its siblings, the ID.3 and the ID.4, the next minivan has the battery pack in the floor, thus creating a flat platform for the interior. That would allow future transformations and various interior designs. Also, it will make room for a fancy utility vehicle. Its large glass areas will cover the sides and, as an option, the roof.

Volkswagen I\.D\.Buzz
Photo: Volkswagen
The I.D.Buzz is still a concept car at the time of writing, but it won't stay that way for too long. Volkswagen said in 2017 that it aims to reach one million electric vehicles sold by 2025, and it needs a wider range. Sure, the company's CEO has nothing to lose. In November 2021, he was on the edge of being expelled from the top seat position. But, like a soldier who has nothing to lose, Dr. Hebert Diess can take this chance. If he won't make it, his seat was already on fire and would have gone out the door anyway. But if he succeeds, his name will be linked to the carmaker's success in the electric car era. So expect the I.D.Buzz in a showroom near you in 2022.
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About the author: Tudor Serban
Tudor Serban profile photo

Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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