Volkswagen’s ID Buzz full-electric van is already sold out for months before the start of deliveries, with advance sales having now passed the 10,000 mark, led by demand in Norway, followed by Germany.
Around a third of the pre-orders have been placed in Norway, where 3,400 ID Buzz vehicles have been ordered. Germany follows in second place with 2,500 orders, a quarter of the total volume.
A further 1,100 orders came from the Netherlands and 1,000 from Belgium.
Employees at VW’s plant in Hanover, Germany, where the ID Buzz is built, were informed of the news by an email from VW Commercial Vehicle’s head of sales, Lars Krause, according to a report in Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.
“10,000 orders, without the car actually being at the dealer, let alone a customer having driven it,” Krause wrote. “That is just impressive.”
Series production in Hanover began in May, with the first vehicles set to be delivered in October.
By the end of the year, 15,000 vehicles will be produced, which means that more than two-thirds of them have already been sold.
Next year, 60,000 ID Buzz models will be produced, and later up to 130,000 a year.
“I am very pleased that the ID Buzz and the ID Buzz Cargo are already selling so well,” Krause continued. “We are, after all, still in the launch phase, before the market launch.”
“Pre-sales have not even started yet in France and the UK,” he added.
Prices for the ID Buzz start at 54,430 euros ($57,220) in Germany for the Cargo version and 64,581 euros ($67,891) for the five-seat passenger Pro version.
The cargo version has panel sides, two or three front seats, and fewer standard features than the Pro variant.
Using technology developed with Argo AI, VW wants to establish shuttle and self-driving delivery services worldwide, with plans for ID Buzz-based self-driving taxis and delivery vans.
VW plans electric variants of the Transporter 6.1, e-Crafter cargo van and California camper van to join the ID Buzz in its electric commercial vehicle lineup.
In May, Krause said Europe is considered the core market for the ID Buzz in terms of volume, but he predicted ID Buzz sales in the U.S. could reach similar levels.
Hani Joudi 
