It was one of the most sensational car innovations of the year, now the VW ID.Buzz has been voted German Car of the Year. The retroesque electric Bulli convinced a jury of 27 well-known motoring journalists working in German-speaking countries. VW CEO Thomas Schäfer accepted the award in Wolfsburg.
The electric VW bus had previously won its class in the “New Energy” category. The other category winners of this German car award were Opel Astra (Compact – up to 30,000 euros cost price in Germany), Genesis GV60 (Premium – up to 60,000 euros cost price), Land Rover Range Rover (Luxury – more than 60,000 euros cost price and Ferrari 296 (Performance). The Class winners were chosen by the jury from all the relevant vehicles that had appeared on the German market since the end of 2021. The winning vehicle was chosen from the five class winners was awarded – a real seal of quality from German automotive trade journalists,” Schäfer commented on the result. The modern homage to the VW T1 scored particularly well in terms of design, practicality, safety and the environment.The Genesis GV60 from Hyundai’s premium offshoot, which is not yet represented in Austria and is closely related to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 Especially in terms of drive, design or driving pleasure. The new, luxurious and expensive fifth-generation Range Rover completes the top 3. With the Opel Astra, it relegated a real mass-produced car, which is available as a combustion engine, PHEV or electric, to fourth place .With the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, an electric car has prevailed against conventionally powered models for the fifth time: The Jaguar I-Pace won the GCOTY 2019 vote, the Porsche Taycan was GCOTY 2020, the Honda e won in 2021 and became the GCOTY 2022 the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was chosen. At the market launch, the VW ID.Buzz is only available with a 150 kW/204 hp electric motor and a battery with a net capacity of 77 kWh, which enables a WLTP range of around 425 kilometers. Fast charging should work with up to 170 kW. The top speed of the electric bus is limited to 145 km/h. More powerful drives, four-wheel drive, a long version and a larger battery are to come later. A camper version called California is also under discussion (possibly in 2025). The price list currently starts at around 67,000 euros.
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