VW ID. California electric campervan development begins [Update]

Update: ‘Development begins’ and ‘Design’ sections revised.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle’s mid-term plans include the launch of a pure electric campervan – the VW ID. California. As you must’ve guessed, we’re talking about a VW ID. Buzz California, meaning the campervan will be a conversion of the ID. Buzz. Here’s everything we know:

Development begins

In a press announcement on December 9, 2021, the Volkswagen Group confirmed a new electric vehicle derivative called VW ID. California, stating that the board had approved the capital expenditure for the new project. It was referring to the campervan version of the ID. Buzz.

At VWN’s annual press conference in March 2023, the future leisure-oriented version of the electric van earned a mention during the CEO’s presentation:

We’re introducing the fully-electric ID. Buzz with a long wheelbase this year, and with the long wheelbase model the campervan will return to the North American Market.

Carsten Intra, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, at the Annual Press Conference of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles 2023, on March 23, 2023.

Design

At a 2023 Car of the Year event, Kai Grünitz, BoM member responsible for Technical Development, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said that a concept version of the VW ID. California is in the works, Autocar said in a report it released on January 12, 2023.

It seems the design work for the VW ID. Buzz California has begun at the Walhalla, the top-secret Volkswagen Design Center in Wolfsburg, Germany. We already have a fair idea of how it will look. The picture you see in this story is our depiction of a U.S.-spec VW ID. California beach camper.

The pure-electric campervan we’ve rendered has a wheelbase longer than the Euro-spec ID. Buzz. We’ve painted the future model in a baby blue color that would make it feel right at home when driven to pristine Californian beaches. The campervan that we have derived from the ID. Buzz passenger van flaunts exclusive alloy wheels as well. It has an electrically operated pop-up roof that creates a generous upper berth for a second sleeping enclosure.

Price & Release date

In an interview with German publication Automobilwoche, published in September 2022, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles CEO Carsten Intra discussed the VW ID. California release date. According to Intra, the electric campervan will arrive after the next-generation California (derived from the T7 Multivan). The VWN boss said that the company will discontinue the T6.1 California in 2024 and that there could be a short vacuum after that.

Autocar claims that the ID. California is likely to debut in 2025, although it doesn’t clarify whether it’s talking about a concept or the final version. However, we think there’s a good chance it’s the latter. What’s certain from Intra’s words is the electric campervan will co-exist with the gas-powered California campervan. The company has already confirmed that it will produce the new derivative alongside the existing ID. Buzz models in Hannover, Germany.

We expect prices of the VW ID. California to start north of USD 70,000.

TopElectricSUV says

Car buyers are increasingly switching to zero-emission vehicles (such as hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs), and it’s time recreational vehicle owners follow suit. The ID. Buzz California will allow these adventurers to enjoy their leisure activities in an eco-friendly way, and in more comfort and convenience.

Featured Image Source: TopElectricSUV.com’s rendering of the VW ID. California.