The VW van is one of the most beloved vehicles of all time, and the company has been talking about electrifying it for a decade. So, it’s not surprising that the looming launch of the VW ID. Buzz has created beaucoup buzz.

The 2023 ID. Buzz is expected to go on sale in Europe in the third quarter of this year, but US customers will have to wait until 2024. VW hasn’t even shown the US version yet, but it’s already obvious that there’ll be plenty of buyers on this side of the pond.

During a recent livestream, VW Passenger Cars CEO Ralf Brandstätter called the ID. Buzz “the most emotional” member of VW’s ID. lineup. “We want to sell around 120,000 units a year. The ID. Buzz has been incredibly well received in the US, where it’s even a bit of a cult figure.”

At its launch in Europe, the ID. Buzz will offer a 77 kWh battery and a 150 kW (201 hp) rear-mounted electric motor. Other powertrain variants, including dual-motor AWD configurations, are expected to be announced in the future.

VW of America CEO Scott Keogh hinted during a recent media briefing that the ID. Buzz might someday be produced in the US. “Demand is through the roof, we might need to act accordingly,” said he. “The ID. Buzz will be manufactured at our plant in Hanover, Germany, and there’s no announcement regarding the localization of that vehicle. However, there could be an opportunity if demand is beyond what Hanover can deliver. We already have experience localizing the MEB platform.”

“Dealers already started getting reservation inquiries even though we don’t have a reservation system in place,” said Keogh. “One dealer got 75 reservation inquiries.”

Keogh also talked about plans to launch two electric SUVs in the US in 2026. These will be based on versions of Volkswagen’s Scalable Systems Platform. “The new SUVs will be larger than the ID.4, something like the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport,” said Keogh, adding that both models could be made in North America. “Over time we do see the necessity to electrify all the plants in the region, otherwise those plants will disappear.”

Source: InsideEVs