Volkswagen ID. Buzz – vegan materials for interior

Volkswagen continues to tease the forthcoming ID. Buzz, which is set to make its debut just around the corner. The German manufacturer has revealed that the all-electric, modern-day version of the Microbus will employ the use of vegan materials for its interior, in line with its view of holistic sustainability, it said.

Both versions of the upcoming vehicle, the five-seater ID. Buzz passenger variant and the ID. Buzz Cargo load-lugger will not feature any leather or other materials of animal origin at all, and in their places are substitute materials with “similar properties and feel,” says Volkswagen.

The use of recycled materials is applied to the seat covers, floor coverings and headliner, where one of the fabrics used is Sequal yarn, which is comprised of 10% marine plastic and 90% recycled PET bottles; this enables a saving of 32% in carbon emissions compared to the use of similar products, the carmaker said.

This is complemented by the ArtVelours Eco upholstery in the ID. Buzz that is used in the Volkswagen Group for the first time, which is comprised of 71% recycled material.

With the Microbus noted for its utility, the ID. Buzz will bring 1,121 litres of cargo space in five-seater passenger vehicle guise, or 3.9 cubic metres of cargo space in ID. Buzz Cargo form. The two versions measure 4,712 mm long, 1,985 mm wide (excluding mirrors) and a wheelbase of 2,988 mm. The five-seater ID. Buzz is 1,937 mm tall, while the Cargo version adds 1 mm to its stature.

Based on the MEB modular electric architecture as shared with the ID.3 hatchback and ID.4 SUV, Volkswagen has previously stated that both versions of the ID. Buzz will get a 77 kWh battery, with charging times and range figures to be revealed.

As benchmarks with the 77 kWh battery pack, the ID.3 hatchback boasts of a range of 550 km, while the ID.4 SUV is rated at 520 km, both on the WLTP testing protocol. The ID.4 can be recharged from a DC fast-charging outlet that will offer a top-up of 320 km of range in around 30 minutes.

Additional features of the ID. Buzz electrical architecture is its bi-directional charging capability, which enables ID. Buzz users to store excess electricity acquired from a building’s solar panels in the vehicle, and subsequently feed electricity back to the building to be independent from external supply without sunlight, Volkswagen previously said.

Driver assistance features already announced include a new Trained Parking function, which enables the vehicle to drive itself into and out of parking spaces, Car-2-X warnings and alerts for the vehicle’s surroundings, and Travel Assist, a forward and lateral guidance system on a partly automated basis across the full speed range based on crowdsourced data.

GALLERY: Volkswagen ID. Buzz development vehicle

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.