Volkswagen is reviving its iconic Microbus, according to Automotive News. In a recent story, Automotive News reported VW issued the announcement at the Pebble Beach Concours in early August. “Microbus” is Volkswagen-speak for minivan. VW is calling it “ID Buzz,” and it will have a commercial and a consumer variant.
In its next iteration, however, the Microbus will be all-electric. It will be a member of an all-electric family that also includes a hatchback and SUV. According to Automotive News, the Buzz will be 194 inches long, offer variable seating configurations and, in its commercial form, have Level 3 autonomy. Level 3 autonomy means the Buzz will have an automated system that can both actually conduct some parts of the driving task and monitor the driving environment in some instances — but the human driver must be ready to take back control when the automated system requests
The exact full-charge range for the production-version Buzz is unknown, but the concept version with a 369-horsepower 2-motor system achieved a range of 270 miles in government testing. VW is aiming for an on-sale date of 2022. The range could be significantly longer by the time production begins.
