Volkswagen has just announced that it wants to have an ID. Tier 4 standalone buzz ready for commercial use as early as 2025.
The German manufacturer is already testing this system on German soil, after investing in startup Argo AI, which also raised capital from Ford. It will be precisely the technology developed by this company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States), which will be present in the ID. Buzz that comes out in 2025.
“This year, for the first time, we are carrying out tests in Germany with the Argo AI autonomous driving system which will be used in a future version of the ID. Buzz.” said Christian Senger, head of Volkswagen's autonomous driving division.
According to Volkswagen, the commercial use of the ID. Buzz will be similar to Moia, a mobility platform that the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer launched in 2016 and which works as a shared travel service in two German cities, Hamburg and Hanover.
“By the middle of this decade, our customers will have the opportunity to be driven to their destination in selected cities with autonomous vehicles,” added Senger.
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When it hits the market in 2025, this ID. Buzz equipped with Level 4 of autonomous driving will be able to operate in specific areas without any human intervention, something that is not yet offered by any car manufacturer.
It is recalled that Volkswagen announced in 2019 a partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority to supply a fleet of autonomous Tier 4 ID prototypes. Buzz, which would be integrated into the public transport network of Doha, capital of Qatar, in time for the 2022 football world cup to be held in that Middle East country.