ONE of the motoring world's most enduring vehicle shapes is reborn in the form of an electrically powered Volkswagen, available as a roomy passenger car or equally spacious commercial workhorse.

The VW ID. Buzz will go on sale later this year and continues a line of iconic machines dating back to the sand and surf era of the 1950s and still popular with classic car enthusiasts who love the way the older models look.

In the lounge-like ambience of the MPV version, five people have room for travelling and for their luggage (1,121 litres of capacity). If the second row of seats is folded down, the load capacity increases to up to 2,205 litres.

Two or three seats up front, as the customer desires, and a fixed partition separating off the 3.9 m3cargo space are distinctive features of the ID. Buzz Cargo. The zero-emission cargo version can take two loaded euro pallets, loaded in transversely.

The new model line's assistance systems claim ease of driving and safety. Included as standard in the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo is the ‘Car2X' local warning system, which utilises signals from other vehicles and the transport infrastructure to spot hazards in real time.

Also included as standard: the ‘Front Assist' emergency braking function and, in the MPV, the ‘Lane Assist' lane-keeping assistant. With new software, new assistance functions are also making their way into the ID. family.

Available as an option is ‘Travel Assist with swarm data', which facilitates partially automated driving across the entire speed range and, for the first time, assisted lane-changing on the motorway. Also new: the ‘Memory Function' for automated parking on a previously saved route.

The ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo are launching across Europe with a 77 kWh battery (gross energy content: 82 kWh). It provides current to a 150 kW electric motor, which - as the flat engine once did in the original T1 - drives the rear axle.

The position of the battery, integrated deep down in the sandwich floor, and the lightweight electric drive system result in a good distribution of weight and a low vehicle centre of gravity. Both factors optimise the handling and agility.

The lithium ion battery can be charged from wall boxes or public charging stations using 11 kW alternating current (AC). Via a CCS plug connector at a DC rapid-charging station (direct current) the charging power increases to as much as 170 kW. When charged in this way, the battery charge level rises from five to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes.

Bidirectional charging enables the ID. Buzz to feed unneeded energy from the battery into the customer's home network (Vehicle-to-Home). The power transfer and communication take place via a special DC bi-directional wall box.