If you’ve been itching for a camper version of Volkswagen’s quirky ID.Buzz electric van, it looks like you’re in for a serious wait.
While VW seemed to tease such a model in a 2019 presentation, German publisher Edison reports that a camper van based on the ID.Buzz EV is not coming anytime soon. Maybe not even within this decade.
The apparent reason? At more than three tons, current designs would simply be too heavy for European drivers with a standard category B license, Edison wrote. A U.S.-based VW spokesperson was unable to comment on the accuracy of the report.
Cashing in on nostalgia for its classic Type 2 microbus, VW dangled the ID.Buzz for years and years before kicking off deliveries in Europe last year. Instead of launching the same vehicle in the U.S., VW determined that what Americans really desire is a version that’s about 10 inches longer, to make room for a third row of seats. The automaker said it will start selling this supersized ID.Buzz in the U.S. starting in the third quarter of 2024.
In the meantime, VW said it’s testing a version of the van with self-driving hardware in Austin, Texas. I’m not sure that’s what Americans really want, but that’s what’s happening.
As for VW’s next camper, Edison reports the firm will present a hybrid camper based on the VW Multivan (instead of the ID.Buzz) around the end of August or early September.
Originally published at techcrunch.com