Volkswagen confirms plans to bring autonomous driving to its ID electric vehicles

Volkswagen is planning to introduce autonomous driving capabilities to its cars, with ID electric vehicles being the first to benefit.

The new ID Buzz, a small van-like model inspired by classic VW campers of the past, will debut the technology.

Volkswagen has teamed up with Ford to invest in autonomous driving software specialist Argo AI to develop a self-driving vehicle platform and the companies are planning to start real-world testing in Germany this year, with a view to bringing autonomous driving to the road in 2025.

Christian Senger, head of autonomous driving at Volkswagen, said: “This year, for the first time, we are conducting field trials in Germany, in which the self- driving system by Argo AI will be used in a version of the future ID Buzz by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

“The aim is to develop a ride-hailing and pooling concept similar to what [ride-sharing service] MOIA offers today. In the middle of this decade, our customers will then have the opportunity to be taken to their destination in selected cities with autonomous vehicles.”

The Volkswagen Group is also investing heavily in Car.Software Organisation projects, which work alongside and separately from Argo AI to develop driver assistance technologies for passenger vehicles.

Volkswagen clearly has big plans for its ID family, which features purely electric vehicles that sit on a new platform built specifically for EVs. As well as its autonomous driving plans, VW Group CEO Herbert Diess took to Twitter to gauge public interest in an electric convertible.

He wrote: “Quiet, smooth, open: We‘re thinking about an e-convertible, maybe a #VWID3 convertible. What do you think?”