Two stars on one stage: At the VW Bus Festival in Hanover (23 to 25 June 2023), the iconic long-wheelbase ID. Buzz1 with space for up to seven people will be presented by actor Ewan McGregor. The Hollywood star (Star Wars and Trainspotting) will present the electric bus to the European public for the first time.
The ID. Buzz Pro2 with five seats and the ID. Buzz Cargo are the design icons among electric cars. The latest development stage of the popular vehicle, the long-wheelbase ID. Buzz, now follows. “Made in Germany” in Hanover for Europe – and for Canada and the US too, since Volkswagen has just initiated the comeback of the VW bus in North America with the launch of the large ID. Buzz. On 2 June 2023, the world premiere of the new ID. Buzz with long wheelbase took place there – as part of the biggest VW bus meet-up in the US, at the Huntington Beach surfing hotspot on the Pacific Coast Highway near Los Angeles. America welcomed the new ID. Buzz with a big gesture: From now on, 2 June will be a new holiday in the US known as “Volkswagen Bus Day”. The European premiere now follows as part of the VW Bus Festival. This is a tribute to the European VW bus fans. The first long-wheelbase ID. Buzz will be delivered in 2024.
Almost five metres long with up to seven seats, the large ID. Buzz can now be used in a wider variety of ways. The additional length creates space for a third row of seats, for an even bigger luggage compartment, for a new, larger 85 kWh battery (net capacity) and thus for even more range. In winter, a new heat pump increases efficiency. In addition, the ID. Buzz will launch with an equally new 210 kW electric motor (286 PS). The large ID. Buzz reaches 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds. But that’s not all. An all-wheel-drive version (GTX) with an output of 250 kW (339 PS) has been announced for 2024. The ID. Buzz GTX will go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.4 seconds3, allowing fast merging onto motorways. The net energy content of the standard battery is 77 kWh (gross: 82 kWh). This means the large battery is charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 25 minutes. At home or at AC charging stations, the battery is usually charged using 11 kW.
Other new features of the electric VW bus include a head-up display, a next-generation infotainment system and remote parking via smartphone. A newly designed high-tech panoramic sunroof – the largest of all Volkswagen models – evokes memories of the legendary “Samba bus” of the 1950s.
The design of the ID. Buzz with long wheelbase (LWB) was created in parallel to the normal wheelbase (NWB) version. In the development process, it was already ensured that both models exhibit the typical harmonious proportions and stylistic clarity of a VW bus, despite their different wheelbases. The NWB version is 4,712 mm long, the new LWB variant measures 4,962 mm. The extra length is achieved by increasing the wheelbase from 2,989 to 3,239 mm. At the sides, the additional 250 mm are distributed between the sliding doors, which are 192 mm wider, and the 58 mm longer areas between the C-pillars and the rear wheels. Both models are 1,985 mm wide without exterior mirrors, and up to 1,927 mm high depending on the equipment. The Cd value is 0.29, which is excellent for a bus.
The two wheelbase versions of the ID. Buzz share the characteristically short and snappy body overhangs as well as the incomparable design of the VW bus. This includes the striking V-shaped bonnet, the appealing graphics of the LED headlights and the classic VW bus rear end with the LED tail light strip, which is continuous in the ID. Buzz. Typical for the VW bus: the five different two-tone paint finishes. The combination of Mono Silver (lower body area) and Candy White (upper area) is new.
The ID. Buzz with a long wheelbase is one of the few electric vehicles that can easily accommodate paragliding equipment (up to 2,469 litres of cargo space) or drive half a football team including sports bags and balls to an away game (six seats plus the driver). Depending on the configuration, this ID. Buzz can be used as a five-seater (2/3), six-seater (2/2/2 with individual seats and armrests in the second row of seats), and as a seven-seater (2/3/2). The front passenger seat, outer seats in the second row and the seats in the third row are equipped with ISOFIX and top tether child seat anchor points as standard.
The new ID. Buzz with a long wheelbase offers a luggage compartment in the typical VW bus format. In the five-seater configuration, the volume when loaded up to the upper edge of the backrests is 1,340 litres (NWB: 1,121 litres). If the large ID. Buzz is loaded up to right behind the first row of seats, the volume increases to up to 2,469 litres. This turns the luggage compartment into a load compartment for paragliding equipment, bikes and boards. Even if seven people are on board, the ID. Buzz’s third row of seats can still accommodate a volume of 306 litres behind it.
1) ID. Buzz with long wheelbase (LWB): near-production concept vehicle
2) ID. Buzz Pro: Combined power consumption: 22.0 – 20.6 kWh/100 (WLTP). Where ranges are stated, the values for consumption and CO₂ emissions depend on the selected vehicle equipment.
3) Provisional figures