Volkswagen ID. Buzz Production Starts in Germany

• Production of the European version of the VW ID. Buzz electric minivan starts in Hannover, Germany.

• Volkswagen plans to produce about 15,000 units this year, all destined for the European market, ahead of the model's arrival stateside in 2023.

• US buyers will receive the long-wheelbase, three-row version of the ID. Buzz powered by an 82-kWh battery starting in 2024.

Five and a half years after it was first revealed as a concept, the first series production Volkswagen ID. Buzz rolled off the assembly line in Hannover, Germany, earlier this month. The retro-styled battery-electric van actually followed the ID. Buzz Cargo into production, with the commercial model getting a head start and both opening a new chapter for the automaker in its road to electrification.

The electric MPV was among the first new crop of electric vehicles to be green-lit by Volkswagen in the months following the outbreak of its diesel crisis, with VW looking to its past for inspiration. Wolfsburg had toyed with the idea of producing a retro-styled MPV for quite some time, with the best-remembered concept being the 2001 Microbus concept, even as Transporter production in Europe never quite ended. VW stopped importing the model stateside about 20 years ago.

"The start of serial production of the all-electric ID. Buzz is an important milestone in the electrification of our fleet and for the manufacturing operation at the Hannover site," said Carsten Intra, chairman of the Brand Management Board of VWCV. "The vehicle is a key pillar in the full utilization of our factory and is thus safeguarding the future of the site."