Volkswagen continues its push towards electric motoring showing off its retro-styled, all-electric ID. BUGGY at the Pebble Beach look-fest across the weekend.
Volkswagen’s ID. family is all about bringing electric motoring to the masses. And last weekend’s showing of the ID. Buggy was intended to get the Internet talking.
Based on the Meyers Manx Dune Buggies of the 1960s, the ID. Buggy might look like a throwback but it’s science faction beneath the cool curves.
Shown off at the annual Pebble Beach look-fest across the weekend, the ID. Buggy is built on Volkswagen’s MEB platform (short for Modular Electric Drive Matrix) which is essentially a push-me, pull-you platform that can be tweaked to suit electric runabouts to SUVs and more.
The main talking point with the ID. Buggy is the electric drivetrain which offers a 62kWh battery built into the floor for improved centre of gravity with the rear-wheel drive electric motor built into the rear axle. Power and torque are impressive with 150kW and 310Nm available from zero rpm which is enough to get the concept buggy from 0-100km/h in 7.2 seconds. This is sent through a single-speed gearbox.
While Volkswagen won’t ever build the dune buggy you see here, it will build a version of it for sale soon, but it will also offer the platform to other makers to bolt their bodies onto. But, back to the ID. Buggy.
The ID. Buggy Concept has 18-inch wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich All-Terrain rubber (255/55 at the front and 285/60 at the back) and gets solid aluminium underbody protection. There are also the obligatory red towing hooks, a reinforced windscreen and a Targa-style rollover bar.
Volkswagen describes the interior as minimalist with a touchscreen infotainment system to control most of the vehicle’s doings, as well as water-repellent Nappa leather, so you don’t need to worry about the interior when flying through puddles, or if you get caught out in the rain.
