In February, we got spy shots of a practically naked long-wheelbase 2024 Volkswagen ID. Buzz, the trim we’ll get in North America. Now we have two reasons to mark June 2 on our calendars. The first is that VW will reveal the lengthier buzz in Huntington Beach, California across from the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach on the Pacific Coast Highway. This is fitting since SoCal not only helped create the mythos of the Volkswagen Type 2 or Kombi or Bulli or Bus or what have you, it does almost as much every year to keep the Bus current thanks to festivals and random surfers parked up on the PCH. The second reason for notating June 2 is that an organization called National Day Calendar has made June 2 International Volkswagen Bus Day.
Starting with the car stuff, the Euro-spec ID. Buzz we drove earlier this year measures 185.5 inches long on a 117.6-inch wheelbase — roughly 18 inches shorter than the current Toyota Sienna. America’s long-wheelbase, three-row ID. Buzz will be nearly 10 inches (25 cm) longer and offer true seven-passenger seating along with removable rear seats and pivoting second-row captain’s chairs. Those spy shots showed that VW found the additional length in the middle of the van, the prototype’s sliding doors conspicuously longer than those fitted to the European version. This approach preserves the ID.Buzz’s short front and rear overhangs and, at least to our eyes, helps mitigate the aesthetic impact of the additional length.
The reveal event will welcome media and the public, so if you’re in the area and want to witness the second coming of the Kombi, head down. VW says there will be live entertainment, other new product and a Busses & Coffee gathering from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you’d like to register your Bus for the gathering, get in now — only 300 will be accepted. Virtual visitors are welcome to join in at 11 a.m. EST on either RadioWoodstock.com or YouTube.
As for National Day Calendar, Marlo Anderson founded this bit of fun in 2013 by designating January 19 National Popcorn Day. He and his team have spent the years since giving almost every timespan at least one, usually multiple, items to celebrate. Today, May 19, is National Bike to Work Day, Endangered Species Day, Malcolm X Day, NASCAR Day, Devil’s Food Cake Day, Defense Transportation Day, May Ray Day and Pizza Party Day. So if you didn’t know what to do with your Friday, you now have options.
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