I don’t agree with this article. 60k for this is way too much. Ev makers really need to work on pricing.
If it feels like many years since you first saw Volkswagen’s retro electric microbus, the ID. Buzz, you’re not wrong. It’s surprisingly aptly named; I can’t think of another car during the past decade that has aroused so much interest among people who don’t usually care about four-wheeled transport. Nearly eight years after the concept made its debut, the Buzz is on sale in Europe and has been for a year. Now it’s time for America to get its turn, with deliveries starting later this year.
We drove the Euro-spec Buzz almost two years ago, but it’s fair to say the version that’s coming to the US is a better proposition. The Buzz we drove had a shorter wheelbase, a smaller-capacity battery, and seats only for five, and if you sat in the back, there was no ventilation, and the windows couldn’t be opened.
The US market will only receive the longer-wheelbase Buzz, which adds about 10 inches (250 mm) between the axles. This adds room for a third row of seats, making it a proper seven-seater. It should be a bit more humane sitting in the back, as there are air vents—we’re waiting to drive it to find out if any windows open back there.
The three-row Buzz also carries a bigger (91 kWh) battery pack, but there’s no getting around that retro shape’s big bluff frontal area, and the EPA range estimate for the rear-wheel drive Buzz is just 234 miles (377 km), a number we’re sure will disappoint many who’ve been patiently waiting for the electric minibus. All-wheel drive drops the range by 3 miles (5 km).
My guess is that more buttons actually increases costs. Safety laws require a screen for a backup camera, so the screen is going to be there anyway. Adding buttons means many more SKUs to keep as well as costs for assembly. I prefer buttons for many functions, but for a value play, touchscreen controls likely make the vehicle cheaper to manufacture and cheaper to sell.
It’s the new release now, fix later imo. It’s easier to worm on your dash software if you don’t have to collaborate with engineers about what buttons there are and where they’re placed. Just a screen, complete free for all. Buttons take effort.
Saftey laws are about to require automatic emergency braking for vehicles and pedestrians as well, which will require additional sensors and compute on even the lowest tech cars.
The days of tech less cars is long gone.