VW reveals Budd-e concept 06 | 01 | 2016
VOLKSWAGEN HAS REVEALED its Budd-e concept at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The car previews an advanced new four-wheel-drive electrically powered MPV which is set to join the company's production car line-up in 2018 (see more photographs of the VW Budd-e).
The company, still ailing from the fallout following the emissions scandal, described as a gateway to the future the Budd-e as "a gateway to the future". Chairman Matthias Müller believes the four-seat concept forms the centrepiece of an ambitious electric car initiative.
Featuring the latest in lithium ion battery technology, the Budd-e provides a claimed zero-emission range of up to 331 miles on the European test cycle, a figure which is 213 miles more than the German car maker claims for the existing e-Golf.
Seen as a spiritual successor to the original Microbus, the new concept is the first in a series of new electric production cars — including a successor to the Phaeton — under development at Volkswagen’s Braunschweig-based R&D centre in Germany.
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Based around Volkswagen’s new MEB (modularen elektrisch baukasten, for modular electric drive kit) platform, the Budd-e is 4597mm long, 1940mm wide and 1835mm high.
The new multi-material structure — which is planned to underpin a range of new dedicated electrically powered Volkswagen Group models, including the Porsche Mission E and Audi e-tron quattro — sites the new MPV’s sizeable 94.6kWh battery low down within the floor structure and wholly within its lengthy 3151mm wheelbase. This, VW says, will give Budd-e an ultra-low centre of gravity.
Capable of being charged either by conventional plug-in means or via an inductive process, the battery — according to VW — can receive an 80% charge after 30min on a high powered 150kW system; that's enough to cover up to 265 miles.
Power comes from a pair of brushless electric motors, with one mounted up front underneath the short nose and another sited within the new car’s independent rear suspension. The former delivers 134bhp and 147lb ft, while the latter provides 168bhp and 214lb/ft. That means the Budd-e has combined system outputs of 302bhp and up to 361lb/ft.
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Each electric motor provides simultaneous direct drive to the front and rear wheels. Volkswagen claims 0-60mph in 6.9sec and a top speed of 112mph.
Externally the Budd-e takes its design cues from the Bulli concept which appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. However, its boxy interior has been updated with a new corporate grille incorporating round headlights. Further distinguishing features include the C-shaped daytime driving lights, which VW already uses on the e-Up and e-Golf.
And while the rather upright glasshouse benefits from a pillarless design with blacked-out pillars, there's a large solar panel within the roof to provide additional energy storage. The driver accesses the car via a conventional front hinged door, while rear passenger use a kerbside sliding door. The rear hatch-style door opens at bumper level.
Inside the Budd-e's cabin, VW has showcased its gesture-based control system and autonomous driving technology, all of which it plans will be used in future production models. The earliest is expected to be VW's new driverless parking function which is scheduled to appear in a successor to the Touareg in 2017.
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Jim McGill