VW

New electric minivan appears on video for the first time

In just over a month, the debut of one of the first mass-produced electric minivans with classic bodywork should take place – on March 9, Volkswagen will present its ID.Buzz, which, on its way to the treadmill, although it has lost the charm of the motives retro in design, received a modern MEB platform, which makes it with current electric vehicle models of concern.

A video appeared on Volkswagen's official YouTube channel, which talks about the journey of two ID.Buzz pre-production samples from the Hannover factory to Barcelona, ​​where the cars will be prepared to meet the journalists. The usual camouflage film, intended to hide the contours of the bodywork, was removed from the side windows of the first row for road safety reasons, in order to make it possible to study the shape of the windows. The triangular inset in the A-pillar area is separate from the door and the side mirrors are attached to the front edge of the doors only. The front axle is moved further forward than its predecessor, so the door opening is almost rectangular at the bottom.

The side doors remain sliding, which will be very convenient when using this minivan in the commercial transport segment. Combined with the triangular insert on the A-pillar, the hood edge in profile view evokes the original ID.Buzz design that was showcased at CES in 2018 and flirted more with retro influences.

The tailgate of specific instances is lifting, the opening line interrupts the taillight line, which becomes solid according to the fashion of recent years. The current generation of Volkswagen minivans in various modifications offer hinged rear doors, but this solution is more popular in the commercial vehicle segment. Whether it will be offered in the ID.Buzz variant for cargo transport is difficult to judge.

Technical details about the new electric minivan have not yet been released, but rumors attribute to them the presence of all-wheel drive and a power plant with a capacity of 369 hp. with a 111 kWh battery that allows you to drive up to 600 km without recharging. Automation of the machine control process will be performed using NVIDIA components. In Munich, in the middle of the decade, automatic versions of ID.Buzz should start operating as “minibuses”.

Image source: YouTube, Volkswagen