Level 4 vehicles are not yet to be found on Germany's roads. VW wants to change that: The VW ID. Buzz AD is set to receive approval for driverless operation at the end of 2026.
VW ID. Buzz AD
Volkswagen AG
Volkswagen has unveiled its first fully autonomous production car. Europe's largest car manufacturer presented the production version of the electric ID. Buzz AD (for Autonomous Driving) in Hamburg. It is set to go into service in 2026, initially in Hamburg and Los Angeles. Other cities are to follow. "This puts the Volkswagen Group at the forefront of a global growth market worth billions", said Group CEO Oliver Blume at the world premiere in Hamburg. "From 2026, we will make sustainable, autonomous mobility available on a large scale in Europe and the US."
According to VW, it is the first fully autonomous production vehicle from European production. It will be manufactured at the VW Commercial Vehicles plant in Hanover. "And none of this is designed for small series production", said Christian Senger, who is responsible for autonomous driving on the VW Commercial Vehicles Board of Management. The focus is on large quantities. Senger: "We believe that we can be the leading provider in Europe".
VW ID. Buzz AD to Go Into Series Production
VW plans to deliver well over 10,000 units of the first generation of the ID. Buzz AD that has now been presented. The first 1,000 are scheduled to hit the roads by the end of 2027. The ride-hailing service Uber, with which the Wolfsburg-based company agreed a cooperation in the US in April, alone wants to purchase up to 10,000 vehicles within ten years, said Senger.
In Hamburg, where regular operations were originally planned to start in 2026, the launch is now scheduled for 2027. In the medium term, the fleet there could grow to 500 self-driving electric buses, said Sascha Meyer from VW's own ride-hailing service Moia, which operates the vehicles in Hamburg. Test drives with prototypes have been underway there since 2023.
Approval Sought for 2027
VW aims to obtain approval for driverless operation in Europe and the US by the end of 2026. After that, the safety driver currently required will no longer be necessary. According to the company, this would be the first time that such approval for Level 4 autonomous driving has been granted in Europe. The "Moia Turnkey Solution" combines the vehicle, the AD MaaS Ecosystem Platform, and Operator Enablement in a complete solution for autonomous mobility services. The VW ID. Buzz AD has 13 cameras, nine lidars, and five radars that enable it to detect its surroundings in real time. The car can drive completely autonomously at speeds of up to 120 km/h. Compared to the prototype previously used as a test car, the production version is slightly longer and taller and has four seats for passengers instead of three.
VW ID. Buzz AD
Volkswagen AG
Test drives with the prototype have been underway in Munich since 2021 and will later be extended to Hamburg, Austin, and Oslo. According to VW, 100 test vehicles are currently in use, which have collectively covered more than 600,000 kilometers. VW sees large fleet operators such as transport companies as its main customers. In Hamburg, for example, the group is cooperating with the HVV transport association. A letter of intent has been signed with the Berlin transport company BVG. "And there will be more contracts with customers,” said Senger. “We are confident that by 2027 we will have more than Hamburg in Germany".
Senger admitted that VW is unlikely to make any money from this initially. In the long term, however, autonomous driving is a lucrative field with significantly higher profit margins than the traditional car business. "This is precisely the great opportunity to create a future for the VW Group".
No Sale to Private Customers
However, VW has ruled out selling the model to end customers. This is because the provisional driving area is limited and does not even extend to the city limits of Hamburg. In addition, a control center must be able to intervene at any time in the background. As a private car, the ID. Buzz AD is therefore hardly suitable at first, according to Senger. The price would also be likely to deter customers. Although one can only speculate about a theoretical purchase price at present, Senger admitted that one would have to pay a small six-figure sum in euros for the car.
This is a partly automated translation of this German article by dpa.
