On October 14th, 2022, Volkswagen held a roadshow event for the Volkswagen ID. family at the Long-for Shopping Mall in Changning, Shanghai. In addition to the ID. models currently on sale by SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, the event also showcased the pure electric ID.R racing car, the three-box pure electric ID. AERO concept car, and the highly anticipated ID.Buzz.
This roadshow marks ID.Buzz’s first exhibition in Shanghai since March 10th of this year. The actual dimensions of the vehicle, which are 4,712 x 1,985 x 1,937 mm, are much larger than those shown in the pictures. With a wheelbase of 2,988 mm, the four-corner design of the ID.Buzz gives it a particularly sturdy appearance in the exhibition hall.
In addition to the sleek lines typical of the ID. family, there are many aerodynamic designs throughout the vehicle. Both sides of the front bumper have grooves for airflow, there is a straight diffuser blade beneath the rear bumper, and similar airflow designs to those on the 7.5 generation GTI can be found on both sides of the rear window.
Furthermore, the chassis of the ID.Buzz is particularly flat. In order to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.285-0.29, Volkswagen has put a lot of thought into the vehicle’s design.
The rear design of the vehicle is markedly different from the rounded style of the front, with straighter lines and a larger tailgate opening for more ample luggage space.
According to official statements, the luggage space of the fully loaded 5-person vehicle can reach 1,121 L, which provides ample space for family trips with several days worth of luggage.
It is regrettable that this event only offers a static exterior experience of the vehicle, and one cannot sit in the car to experience it firsthand.
The ID.Buzz showcased this time is designed as a 5-seater with a 2+3 seating arrangement. The actual car still has armrests and cup holders reserved for the “third row space”. Later on, Volkswagen will launch a 2+2+2 6-seater version and a 2+3+2 7-seater version.
In terms of hardware, the ID.Buzz is based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, and shares the electric powertrain with the ID. models that we can buy now. Therefore, the motor used is still the same rear motor on the MEB platform with a maximum power of 150 kW and a maximum torque of 310 N·m.
In terms of battery, the ID.Buzz is equipped with an 82 kWh battery, with an actual usable capacity of 77 kWh. Based on the energy consumption of the ID.4/6 models, the full electric range of ID.Buzz is around 450 km, which may fluctuate slightly with temperature changes.
However, Volkswagen has made certain improvements in charging power this time. The maximum charging power of ID.Buzz is 170 kW, and the official claim is that it only takes 30 minutes to charge from 5% to 80% battery capacity.The driving assistance system remains consistent with the current models and adopts the Mobileye EyeQ4 visual processing chip. Its specific capabilities can be referred to the ID.3/4/6, and those who are interested in this driving assistance system can refer to “ID.6 Driving Assistance System Accelerates and Brakes Like a Pro, Even Smoother Than My Own Driving“.
It’s worth mentioning that the function of command-oriented lane change has been implemented overseas in this driving assistance system, but it still hasn’t been launched in China. We are looking forward to the OTA release next year and hope that Chinese models can also use this function.
Interested friends can come to Changning Raffles to have a look at the ID.Buzz in person. Meanwhile, we are also looking forward to opening the doors of ID.Buzz and experiencing it more deeply.
At the same time, the ID.AERO concept car, which was first released in late June this year, also made an appearance. It is still based on the MEB platform and can reach a range of 620 km under the WLTP cycle. From its position, the ID.AERO is like the pure electric versions of Passat and Magotan, just like the relationship between ID.3 and Golf. The ID.AERO series may enter the market under the names of ID.7 and ID.7 Tourer in the future.
In the next few years, Volkswagen Group’s focus will gradually shift from fuel vehicles to electric vehicles. With Porsche’s IPO and more funds raised, Volkswagen will focus more on software and services in the future. In the Chinese market, ID.’s sales are steadily increasing, and Volkswagen needs to work hard to stabilize the sales of pure electric vehicles and tackle many challenges ahead.
Source: Official Volkswagen.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.