ID. Buzz

Make
Volkswagen
Segment
Van

Full-scale electrification appears to be happening fast at Volkswagen. The German automaker has just announced the expansion of the upcoming ID.Buzz lineup. The ID.Buzz itself is due in 2024 but come the "second half of the decade" the ID. California campervan will be hitting the road.

The announcement was made during the company's supervisory board meeting and went as far as to confirm the vehicle will be built at the Hanover production plant on a new assembly line. Production of the plant's expansion is already underway. This is the same facility that'll build the regular ID.Buzz in both People Mover and Cargo variants from next year.

Specific details regarding the campervan were not released. The ID.Buzz itself was teased early last month, lightly camouflaged in very '70s-inspired wavy colored lines. It very closely resembles the concept version that arrived four years ago.

Recent spy shots confirm this as well. Like the currently on sale ID.4 crossover, the ID.Buzz lineup - including the California - will ride on VW's MEB platform. Designed specifically for EVs, the architecture is flexible enough to accommodate a variety of vehicles and bodystyles. A range of battery sizes will be offered, from a 48 kWh unit to 111 kWh. The latter will supposedly enable a 340-mile range.

Expect the new Microbus to come with a 201-horsepower single-motor, rear-wheel-drive setup in base form. Higher grades will have a dual-motor with AWD. Rapid charging should be standard. Buyers will also have the choice of short- and long-wheelbase configurations. Because of its campervan nature, the California will very likely be based on the LWB and come standard with the dual-motor, AWD setup.

But the big question we have is whether it'll come to the US? Uh, it's called the California. Need we say more? Americans love to go on road trips and the California van represents a great opportunity for VW to come up with some really cool and innovative interior features.