Volkswagen confirmed plans for a version of its ID.Buzz electric van outfitted for camping as early as 2021, but the vehicle, which will use the automaker's California camper designation, won't arrive until late this decade.
The delay isn't due to any technical issues but rather a lack of demand for electric campers, Carsten Intra, the CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, told Autocar in an interview published on Thursday.
“I can tell you we always start from the market, and looking at the market figures and looking closely at our customers, it turned out that the need for these types of vehicles—BEV-driven campers—is not there yet from our perspective,” he said.
Intra went on to say that VW expects demand for electric campers to grow to a sufficient level by the second half of the decade.
Volkswagen California concept
In the meantime, VW will offer a new California camper van based on the current Multivan sold overseas. It was previewed as a concept (shown above) last year and is due out in production form later this year. It will offer buyers the option of a plug-in hybrid powertrain, which Intra said will allow owners to drive around a campsite with electric power alone should they desire.
The California designation was originally used for a camper version of VW's Transporter line of commercial vans. The California version offered features for an extended stay at a campsite, including a pop-up roof, a mini kitchen with a fridge, and a pair of beds each big enough for two. VW has since launched California versions of its smaller Caddy van and bigger Crafter van. Soon there will also be a Multivan version, and eventually an ID.Buzz version.
The regular version of the ID.Buzz will finally reach U.S. showrooms in the second half of the year. It will arrive as a 2025 model and will have a starting price of around $65,000.
