‘Insufficient Demand’ For An ID. Buzz Camper, Says VW

Ever since the Volkswagen ID. Buzz debuted with styling clearly referencing the T1 split-screen bus of the 1950s and ’60s, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of a proper camper version. Well, according to the company’s execs, we’ll be waiting a while longer yet.

Speaking to Autocar at a press conference, Lars Krause, the boss of sales and marketing for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, explained that the company doesn’t yet feel the demand is there for a fully electric campervan.

“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,” explained Krause.

He did go on to confirm that a camper version of the Buzz, likely to carry the California name, is in the works, but probably won’t appear until the second half of the decade.

While not outright stated, it’s likely that the reason the demand isn’t there relates to the accessibility of a charging network at campsites and remote camping spots.

Krause also quashed suggestions that the project was delayed because its fully-laden weight would have been upwards of 3.5 tonnes, which would require drivers in some markets to have a separate classification of licence.

Volkswagen has been selling hugely successful California camper versions of its vans since 2003, beginning with the T4 generation Transporter. The next generation uses the car-based Multivan rather than the Transporter van as its base and gains the option of a plug-in hybrid powertrain, something VW Commercial Vehicles’ CEO Carsten Intra calls “a step into electrification” for its campers.

Given the truly iconic status of the original Volkswagen Camper, a version of the Buzz with accommodation seems to be a no-brainer, but we’ll just have to wait a while before we see it. In the meantime, we’ll have to make do with the rapid new ID. Buzz GTX.