Towards the end of January 2019, Volkswagen dropped two teaser images of a new dune buggy concept. And now the Wolfsburg-based firm has fully revealed its all-electric ID Buggy concept at the Geneva International Motor Show.
VW bills the ID Buggy concept – which rides on the automaker’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) architecture – as a “zero-emissions, high-tech vehicle for summer, on the beach or in the city”.
A lithium-ion battery is integrated into the vehicle’s floor, supplying power to a 150 kW electric motor sited at the rear. Interestingly, VW says an additional electric motor in the front axle is “also conceivable” in order to realise an all-wheel drive with an “electric propshaft”.
Inspired by the Californian dune buggies of the 1960s, the ID Buggy concept does away with a fixed roof and doors, while the minimalist interior features waterproof materials. While the concept is a two-seater, Volkswagen says the vehicle could also be converted to a 2+2 layout.
The composite body is fashioned from a mix of aluminium, steel and plastic, with the upper body itself fairly easily detached from the MEB chassis. This, says VW, is a “clear signal” to small series manufacturers and start-ups that the brand is happy to open up to “external producers” and allow them to build a new-era dune buggy based on the concept…
