Volkswagen: ‘There is simply no market for an ID Buzz camper’

Rumors have previously circulated about a camper version of the Volkswagen ID Buzz, even then with a negative tone. In August, a German magazine claimed that a camper Buzz would be too heavy for a passenger car driver’s license, but according to Volkswagen’s Lars Krause, this is not true. The Sales and Marketing Chief of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles told Autocar that these types of technological challenges are there to be overcome. According to Krause, there is a completely different reason why there will be no ID Buzz camper for the time being: there is simply no market for it. “We begin [bij de ontwikkeling van een nieuw product, red.] always at the market. Looking at the market figures and our customers, it appears that the need for such a type of vehicle – an electric camper – is simply not there yet.”

The fact that this is the case now does not mean that this will never change. Krause expects increasing demand in the second half of this decade and does not rule out that a Volkswagen ID Buzz California will emerge sometime between 2025 and 2030.

Volkswagen vans that are used as campers are almost as old as the Volkswagen van itself. The appearance of the electric ID Buzz is inspired by the earliest T1 and T2 buses, so it is not surprising that enthusiasts occasionally call for a camper based on this Buzz. This is reinforced by the fact that Volkswagen is one of the few brands to offer camper vans itself, in the form of the California series based on the Transporter and the Crafter.

Volkswagen California on T7 basis.

With the arrival of a California based on the T7 Multivan, a plug-in hybrid California is ready for the first time. Volkswagen tells Autocar that this model is seen as an important step towards a fully electric camper.