Volkswagen has talked on a number of occasions about making an electric version of its iconic camper van, the VW Bus. It got as far as making a concept vehicle, called the I.D. Buzz, and it says this one really will make it into production …
Driven by popular demand, Volkswagen announced it is planning on selling a production version of the award-winning I.D. Buzz concept electric vehicle in 2022 for the United States, Europe and China.
“For me, the I.D. Buzz concept is the most beautiful and most exciting electric car in the world,” said Dr. Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management for the Volkswagen brand, in Pebble Beach, Calif.
“Our goal is clear: we want to make the fully electric, fully connected car a bestseller around the world. The iconic car of the electric age must be a Volkswagen.”
Instead of the usual instrument cluster with multiple displays, gauges and lights, the concept vehicle shows a few buttons on the steering wheel and a single touch-sensitive display in the centre – which appears to be an iPad (below). It’s something seen in an earlier prototype, and it’s interesting to see it has made it into the latest one.
There’s usually quite a gulf between concept vehicles and production versions, and the iPad is unlikely to make the cut. As Electrek’s editor in chief Fred Lambert notes, vehicles need dedicated infotainment systems, and that’s not something likely to change anytime soon. Even when it does, it seems unlikely that VW would be leading the way.
But it does perhaps show a vision of what we may one day see as we head into the era of self-driving cars and conventional instruments become redundant.
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