Volkswagen ID Buzz: designer hints at pick-up variant

EV has been confirmed for a camper version – and now a truck is on the cards

The new Volkswagen ID Buzz EV is in line to receive an open-backed pick-up variant to rival the Rivian R1T, according to a previously unseen design sketch revealed by a senior designer.

Shared on World Design Day by Volkswagen Group design boss Klaus Zyciora, the sketch shows the original Buzz concept with the rear third of its roof removed for an open-top truck bed. 

The designer didn’t share any further details about the digital sketch, but he did ask if fans would like to see it taken “to the next level” and many on Instagram responded: “Build it; build it now!”

In a separate tweet, VW also suggested other versions could be on the cards, adding: “There are a lot of unseen design drafts.”

Notably, Volkswagen bosses recently revealed to Autocar that an electric version of the forthcoming Amarok is on the cards and could be launched around the middle of the decade. However, this would be marketed with a more overt commercial focus than any pick-up version of the lifestyle-friendly ID Buzz. 

The ID Buzz, an electric follow-up to the 1950s Microbus available in MPV and van forms, will be released in the UK this October. It comes equipped with a single-motor electric powertrain used by other ID models, with 201bhp and 228lb ft of torque sent to the rear wheels. 

Official pricing has yet to be announced, but the line-up will start at around £40,000 for the van and increase to close to £50,000 for the MPV. More powerful dual-motor, four-wheel-drive models are set to be added to the line-up in 2023, with an ID Buzz California camper van due to arrive in 2024.

These most recent sketches were released just over a year after a convertible variant of the Volkswagen ID 3 was teased. Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter suggested that an open-roof version of the brand's electric hatchback "could provide an entirely new, extraordinary feeling of freedom".