There aren’t many people on the planet who haven’t seen the icon that is the VW camper van.
Removed from production in 2013, the car has since become a collectors item rather than the ultimate people carrier for the masses.
Well for those of you who miss it, we have some good news. It’s back.
VW have naturally managed to immediately fall at the first hurdle by calling it the I.D. Buzz but look past the name and what you’re looking at is the redesign of a true classic.
From the sweeping colour scheme that creates the classic VW nose, the I.D. Buzz is a beautiful reimagining of the boxcar design that made the camper van so loved.
In keeping with its forward-thinking approach this is naturally an all-electric car as well. VW claims that it has a theoretical range of 600km and is filled with the latest technologies including fast-charging which would allow it to be charged from 0-80 per cent in just 30minutes.
Of course being a concept this is all very hypothetical but VW claims it would launch with the latest self-driving technologies.
What makes this really impressive though is that VW doesn’t plan for it to be a concept for long. It envisages the I.D. line of cars going into production in 2020 with the self-driving features going live in 2025.
Now we’re not just talking Tesla levels of automation, according to the German car manufacturer the driver will be able to gently push on the steering wheel and watch it disappear into the dashboard.
At this point the self-driving mode will engage and the driver will be able to swivel his or her seat right round and start chatting to the passengers.
Also despite it’s luxury appearance, the I.D. Buzz apparently won’t be just for those early adopters with VW claiming that it will be “affordable for millions, not just to millionaires.”
VW hopes to launch the I.D. range in 2020, starting with the I.D.3, a small fully electric city car that will also be able to achieve the same 600km range that VW is promising for the new Camper Van.
