World premiere in Hamburg: VW shows driverless e -bulli – approval from 2027

Volkswagen presented his first completely autonomously driving series car. In Hamburg, Europe’s largest carmaker showed the series version of the self-driving electric bullis ID Buzz AD (for Autonomous Driving). It is to be used for the first time from 2026 in Hamburg and Los Angeles. Further cities should follow.

“The Volkswagen Group is positioning itself in the top group of a global growth market,” said CEO Oliver Blume at the world premiere in Hamburg. “From 2026 we will make sustainable, autonomous mobility available on a large scale in Europe and the USA.”

According to VW, it is the first fully autonomous series vehicle from European production. It is to be manufactured in the work of VW commercial vehicles in Hanover. “And none of this is designed for a small series,” said Christian Senger, who is responsible for autonomous driving on the Board of Directors of VW. It is about large quantities. Senger: “We believe that we can be the leading provider in Europe.”

Planned more than 10,000 vehicles

VW wants to deliver well over 10,000 pieces from the now presented first generation of the ID Buzz AD. The first 1,000 should be on the streets by the end of 2027. The Uber driving service alone, with which the Wolfsburgers had agreed to cooperate in the United States in April, wanted to lose up to 10,000 vehicles within ten years, said Senger.

In Hamburg, where there was originally talk of a start of regular operation in 2026, it should start in 2027. In the medium term, the fleet could grow there on 500 self-driving e-bullis, said Sascha Meyer from the VW own collective taxian bidder Moia, who operates the vehicles in Hamburg. Test drives with prototypes have been there since 2023.

By the end of 2026, VW plans to receive approval for driverless operation in Europe and the USA. According to this, the security driver, which has so far been prescribed, could be dispensed with. In Europe, according to the group, it would be the first time that such approval would be granted to autonomous driving according to Level 4.

The vehicle has 13 cameras, nine so -called lidare and five radars with which it captures the surroundings in real time. Up to 120 km / h, the car can drive in a purely autonomous manner. Compared to the prototype previously used as a test car, the series version in length and height has grown somewhat and has four instead of three seats for passengers.

Test drives in four cities

Testing with the prototype has been available in Munich since 2021, later also in Hamburg, Austin and Oslo. According to VW, 100 test cars are currently in use, which have covered more than 600,000 kilometers together.

As a buyer, VW primarily sees large fleet operators such as transport companies. In Hamburg, for example, the group cooperates with transport association HVV. A corresponding declaration of intent was concluded with the Berlin transport companies (BVG). “And there will be more contracts with customers,” said Senger. “We are confident that we will have more than Hamburg in Germany in 2027.”

VW will probably not earn money at first, Senger admitted. In the long term, autonomous driving is a lucrative field of future that promises significantly higher profits than classic auto business. “This is exactly the great opportunity to create a future opportunity for the VW group.”

No sale to private customers

However, VW excludes a sale of the model to end customers. Because the travel area is limited and in Hamburg does not even extend to the city limits. In addition, a control center must be able to intervene in the background at any time. As a private car, the ID Buzz AD is therefore hardly suitable, says Senger.

The price would also rather deter customers. You can currently only speculate about a theoretical purchase price. But, Senger admitted: You would have to put a small six-figure euro amount for the car.