Volkswagen fulfilled the promise made in 2017: the Kombi is back on the market, now in an electric version. Although it gave rise to different vans of the brand in Europe, the model that now resurfaces under the name ID. Buzz is inspired by the first generation, which in Brazil was nicknamed corujinha.
The lines remain the same as the concept that was shown five years ago at the Detroit Auto Show. The colors and shapes of the body and windows even resemble the model officially made in Brazil from 1957 onwards, but inside it is a much more luxurious car.
The ID Buzz obeys voice commands from the driver, and his responses are accompanied by LEDs that light up on top of the dashboard. Part of the inner lining is made from recycled PET bottles.
Instead of round headlights, there is a triangular set with LEDs. The same technology is present in the taillights and cabin lights.
There is space for five people and a lot of luggage: the trunk has a capacity of 1,121 liters. The new Kombi is 4.72 meters long, equivalent to a large SUV.
The electric motor has a power equivalent to 204 hp. Volkswagen did not disclose the ID’s autonomy. Buzz, but it will certainly be much bigger than the first electric concept made by the brand, 50 years ago.
At the time, a T2 Kombi – the same as those produced in Brazil from the 1970s onwards – was transformed into an electrically powered vehicle. It didn’t run more than 85 kilometers on a full charge.
The platform of the new model is the same used in the ID. 3 and in the ID. 4, VW electric vehicles that will be sold in Brazil. With that, the natural path is the launch of the new Kombi in the country, positioned in a price range above R$ 200 thousand.
However, there is still no date set for the start of commercialization here. In Europe, deliveries will start in September, but there will be pre-sales from May.
There will also be a Cargo version, aimed at the urban delivery sector and capable of carrying 600 kilos.
The minivan format remains faithful to the design made by Ben Pon in 1947. He, who was a Dutch Volkswagen dealer, took advantage of a meeting with officials who controlled the German factory after the end of World War II to show the scribbles.
The Kombi was the vehicle that stayed in production the longest in Brazil. Assembly lasted until 2013, when more stringent safety and emissions regulations dictated the end of manufacturing.
The launch in Germany took place in 1950. Three years later, the first units arrived in Brazil, brought dismantled by the importing group Brasmotor.
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