Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWN) has prepared well for this year's big spectacle and will show over 130 classic and current vehicles of the brand. On the approximately 1000 square meter show stage, special VW buses and their owners will be awarded in Show & Shine contests.

Premiere of the long VW ID.Buzz

The history of the VW Bus is told in pavilions: from the legendary Plattenwagen, which VW employees built as a transport vehicle at the Wolfsburg plant, through all generations of the VW Bus, to the autonomously driving ID. Buzz, the long version of which will celebrate its European premiere at the festival (gallery center). International music acts provide a real festival feeling during the three days. All this is also experienced by a Swiss group that has made its way to the north in its aged Bullis.

Most important customer event of the year

Lars Krause, Member of the Brand Board for Sales and Marketing at VWN: "The VW Bus Festival is the most important customer event of the year for us. With more than 6000 VW Buses, the festival is now the largest of its kind. Two months before the event, the camping tickets were sold out. This is absolute Bulli madness!"

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This was the conclusion of the 1. Swiss Electromobility Conference in Bern, during which the canton of Zug was awarded the Golden Plug 2023. The award is presented annually to a canton, city or municipality that is making exemplary efforts to develop electromobility.

This year, for the first time, the award was presented jointly by the directors of auto-schweiz, Swiss eMobility and the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE). Cantonal planner René Hutter accepted the Golden Plug 2023 on behalf of the Zug cantonal government.

Top of the canton ranking

With a 29.3 percent share of plug-in vehicles in new passenger cars after the first five months of the current year, Zug topped the cantonal ranking. The Swiss average at the end of May was 26.7 percent. This put Zug just ahead of Valais and Thurgau. The basis for the boom in demand for plug-in vehicles is presumably also the high density of public charging stations there: With 19 publicly accessible charging stations per 10,000 inhabitants, the canton ranks fourth in Switzerland.

Industry meeting for electromobility

The three associations auto-schweiz, Swiss eMobility and the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE) have joined forces to organize a national and cross-sector conference on electromobility. The variety of topics at the first event ranged from vehicle and battery technology to the design of the power grid and charging infrastructure to the use of e-vehicles in large logistics fleets or at Swiss Post.

The opening greeting came via video message from Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, Head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC).

The next conference is scheduled for June 11, 2024.

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Over 830,000 units of the predecessor were sold, and it continues to be so popular in South America that it will continue to be built there in its current form - for the time being. The new Amarok, as it will (presumably) be available at Swiss dealers from May, is now a product of the cooperation between Volkswagen and Ford. It is based on the next-generation Ranger and, like the Ranger, will be built at Ford's Silverton plant near Pretoria in South Africa.

Nevertheless, the new Amarok is also a genuine Volkswagen. Apart from the roof, the mirror housings and the door handles, almost all visible parts inside and out have been individually designed by the VW designers. You can see it particularly clearly, for example, in the rectangularly designed wheel arches and the C light signature in the taillights.

Three TDI and five equipment levels to choose from
In Switzerland, the new Amarok comes as standard as a double cab with all-wheel drive, two 2-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesels with 170 and 205 hp, 405 and 500 Nm of torqueand a 3-liter V6 TDI with 240 hp and 600 Nm of maximum torque. The pickup is available in the three equipment versions Amarok (the workhorse), Life and Style as well as in the two top versions PanAmericana (with off-road styling) and Aventura (road-oriented exclusive styling), which we show in the gallery.

The TDIs get a 6-speed manual transmission as standard, while the 205-horsepower engine can also be optionally configured with the new 10-speed automatic transmission, which replaces the former 8-speed automatic and is standard on the V6 TDI.

Depending on the engine version, two different 4Motion systems are used: The basic system is a selectable all-wheel drive with the three drive modes 2H, 4H and 4L; the top version adds the fourth mode 4A. The multi-plate clutch installed here distributes power variably and automatically between the front and rear axles (depending on grip and speed). An optional rear differential lock (standard on the PanAmericana) and up to six intelligent driving modes perfect the all-wheel drive characteristics.

More wheelbase and shorter overhangs
At 5350 mm, the new Amarok is 96 mm longer than its predecessor, and the wheelbase has increased by 173 mm to 3270 mm. This provides more space, especially in the rear. The shortened body overhangs improve off-road capability thanks to larger slope angles of up to 30 degrees (front) and 26 degrees (rear).

In Europe, all Amarok automatic versions are allowed to tow trailers weighing up to 3.5 tons. The maximum payload has increased to 1.19 tons (unladen weight max. 2540 kg). The loading area has remained roughly the same size: there is still room across for a Euro pallet. Like its predecessor, all versions have an 80-liter fuel tank. The volume of the AdBlue tank has been increased by almost 50 percent to 19.3 liters.

Interior especially for professional tasks
The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles design team has given the interior a functional and high-quality look. For example, there are now two glove compartments on top of each other and the material appearance builds a bridge to luxury SUVs such as the VW Touareg. The most striking feature is the new, raised central touchscreen (10.1 inches, from Style 12.0 inches). A digital cockpit is now also on board, measuring 8.0 inches from the basic Amarok version and 12.3 inches fully digital from Style. An "intuitive combination of digital functions and ergonomically designed buttons and rotary controls" has also been implemented.

The volume of the infotainment system, for example, is adjusted via a rotary control; the functions of the all-wheel drive as well as the higher-level menus for parking, climate control, the assistance systems and the driving modes are controlled via buttons, which is intuitively quickly grasped. Depending on the equipment, these robust switches are framed in a chrome look.

Assistance systems are at the cutting edge
The use of electromechanical steering opened the door to more than 20 new assistance systems - a total of more than 25 assistants are possible. The new systems include, for example, automatic distance control ("intelligent speed assistant"), a parking steering assistant for assisted parking and unparking, 360-degree all-round vision, lane change assistant and traffic sign recognition.

Precise handling on asphalt and gravel roads
Test drives around Cape Town convinced us of the comfortable and precise handling on asphalt and the effortless mastery of unpaved roads off-road. The 240 hp V6 and the confidence-inspiring automatic quickly made us forget that we were driving a pickup truck.

The seating position, overview and adjustment options gave no cause for criticism, and you occasionally had to remind yourself of the vehicle's actual dimensions in city traffic; after all, it felt like a decently powered compact car. Those who already enjoyed the previous Amarok will love the new generation.

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The 3-liter turbo gasoline engine optimized by Ford Performance delivers 490 Nm as maximum torque and 292 hp as maximum output. A new anti-lag system ensures that there is always high boost pressure. If the driver takes his foot off the gas, the throttle remains open for up to three seconds, ensuring that the turbocharger stays up to speed.

Power from the V6 is sent to the wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission and electronically controlled all-wheel drive. The new performance variant is the first Ranger to feature all-wheel drive with an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case and lockable front and rear differentials.

High speeds in the terrain
With seven driving modes, the new Ranger Raptor masters challenges of virtually any kind. Normal, Sport and Grass/Gravel modes are specifically for on-road use, and Stone/Rock, Sand/Snow and Mud/Rut are suitable for off-road applications.

In addition, the Baja mode allows off-road driving at high speeds. In addition, the Raptor has Trail Control, a kind of adaptive cruise control system for off-road passages.

Ground clearance is 266 millimeters
The new edition of the Raptor appears with large suspension travel all round - 256 millimeters at the front and 290 millimeters at the rear. A Watt linkage is used on the rear axle, which allows the axle to move up and down with very little lateral movement. Ground clearance is 266 millimeters, and the front and rear slope angles measure 31 and 27 degrees respectively. In off-road use, the Ranger Raptor benefits from a robust underride guard.

First variant of the current generation
The Raptor, which can be ordered exclusively with a crew cab and five full-size seats, is the first variant of the new Ranger generation. Its entry-level price is 74,010 Swiss francs. Further model variants such as XLT, Limited and Wildtrak will be launched in spring 2023.

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The powertrain consists of a 10.5-kWh lithium-ion battery that can be charged in 90 minutes via a wallbox, a 45-kW fuel cell and tanks for 4.4 kilograms of usable hydrogen.

According to WLTP, the total range is 400 kilometers, with the hydrogen being sufficient for about 350 kilometers and the remaining 50 kilometers being covered by the initially fully charged battery.

Instead of a battery, there are three hydrogen tanks
The battery then supplies energy primarily during starting and acceleration (system power up to 100 kW), thus enabling good energy recovery.
The hydrogen fuel cell van is based on the Vivaro-e. The 100 kW electric motor remains the same, the battery under the charging floor is replaced by three hydrogen tanks, and the smaller 10.5 kWh battery finds space under the seats. As with the electric variant, the fuel cell Vivaro has three driving modes and two recuperation stages.

1000 kilogram combined payload and towing capacity
The goal achieved during development was to retain unrestricted cargo space. The combined payload and towing capacity is 1000 kilograms. Because they are based on the same platform, the identically constructed Peugeot e-Expert and Citroën ë-Jumpy will also be converted into hydrogen vehicles in Rüsselsheim. All three models are expected to be offered simultaneously in Switzerland at the end of 2023. Prices and financing models are not yet known.

Development of the drive took place in Germany
Dr. Lars-Peter Thiesen, Opel's Head of Introduction Strategy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell, has accompanied the development of the fuel cell drive in Germany from the very beginning and played a key role in shaping it.

In the video, he explains how the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Van from Stellantis, which is celebrating its Swiss premiere as the Opel Vivaro-e HydroGen at Auto Zürich in Hall 2.0, is constructed and why the mid-power concept was chosen for the H2 transporter.

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After four days of competition with a lot of stress, little sleep and hard work, the anticipation was palpable on all sides at the beginning of the award ceremony.
Lara Kaufmann from Riggisberg BE (Bartlome AG, BE) wins the gold medal in the car body painter category.

The Swiss champion shortly after the award ceremony: "There are extreme emotions going through my body at the moment. I was shaking the whole time and am overjoyed that it was enough to win gold. I managed to stay calm during the competition even in hectic situations - so I was able to cope well with difficult situations, which are always there."

Behind the new Swiss champion, Mylène Roy (Carrosserie Gillièron, VD) was delighted with the silver medal. Amantin Zubaku (MS Cars GmbH, BE) took third place and secured bronze.

Best car body repairer from French-speaking Switzerland
To great applause, those responsible announced the trio of winners in the category of carrosserie tinsmiths: Robin Taramarcaz from Chamoille VS (Darbellay Carrosserie, VS) wins gold, Marco Müller (Carrosserie Feller AG, BE) grabs silver and bronze goes to Jan Kammermann (Carrosserie Vitali+Müller AG, LU).

Robin Taramarcaz: "I am super happy. This is the best day of my life. I did make one or two minor mistakes during the competition, for example during welding, but overall everything worked well. Now we will celebrate the victory properly."

Vehicle mechanic gold thanks to a good finish
The award ceremony for the vehicle locksmiths was the crowning finale from the point of view of the car body and vehicle construction industry. Jens Grünig from Wangen an der Aare BE (Carrosserie Hess AG, SO) made it to the top of the podium, directly behind Lars Boppart (Lanz + Marti AG, LU) landed in second place, while Cédric Tresch (Notterkran AG, AG) snatched third place.

"It's really incredible," said the beaming winner Jens Grünig in an interview afterwards. "Although not everything went according to plan, I had a good finish, so it was enough in the end. After all the hype I'm a bit tired, but a bit of Chilbi is part of it."

All achievements deserve the highest respect
But not only the winners and the runners-up were able to celebrate: All participants can be proud of themselves and their achievements.

Daniel Röschli, Director of carrosserie suisse: "What these young professionals have shown over the past four days - and already before that at the regional championships - is incredible and deserves the highest respect. On behalf of our industry, I warmly congratulate all participants on their achievements."

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Hardly anyone can resist the charm of the electrified new edition of the van icon - even if for quite a few it will probably just be a matter of watching. At prices starting at 67,860 Swiss francs, even the E-Bulli is not affordable for every family.

Of course, this does not apply to the first 10,000 customers who ordered the car blind. This means that two thirds of this year's production will be gone before the first delivery in October.

Spacecraft with contemporary propulsion
With the combination of multifunctional space vehicle with contemporary electric drive and refreshed design icon, VW has put a programmed bestseller on its wheels. The striking front end in the style of the legendary T1 with a V-shaped hood, the friendly looking LED headlights and the model's largest brand logo is particularly effective in the (optionally four) two-tone paint finishes, in which the upper area is always white.

The crisply short overhangs give the compactly shaped body a modern, almost futuristic touch. The appealing exterior corresponds with good aerodynamics of cW 0.29 - for electric cars, the decisive factor for power consumption and range alongside weight.

Same length of 4.71 meters for bus and van
Right from the start, there will be a five-seater bus and a two- or three-seater van version. Both are an identical 4.71 meters long, with the wheelbase stretching to just under three meters (2.99 meters).

In terms of height, the E-bulls are a few centimeters shorter than their combustion engine brothers, depending on the equipment and version (1927 and 1951 millimeters). On the other hand, they are a good eight centimeters wider at 1985 millimeters.

Command position with good superiority and prudence
Climbing into the e-bulli also means climbing up into the familiar command position with good over- and around-sight. The fact that there is still plenty of space between the windshield and the driver despite the electric architecture is probably due to crash and pedestrian protection. At least VW cleverly conceals it with a multi-level layout and, depending on the equipment, tastefully used chrome and wood trim.

Cockpit with free-standing 5.3-inch digital display
Completely new, although now familiar from the ID 3, ID 4 and ID 5, is the cockpit layout with the free-standing 5.3-inch digital display behind the steering wheel and the 10-inch touchscreen positioned centrally on the dashboard. With the optional Discover Pro navigation system, the multimedia display even grows to 12 inches. It can be operated intuitively right from the start.

Special removable center tunnel box
The USB ports are also well placed - there are up to eight of them in total in the bus version, although none of them conform to the USB-A standard, which is still the majority standard - to the right of the steering wheel with smartphone slot including inductive charging function. Like all ID models, the new ID.Buzz as a bus also has the interactive ID Light.

A removable center tunnel box with a practical storage compartment in the upper area, including ice scraper and bottle opener, was developed especially for the ID Buzz. A water bottle fits in the 1.4-liter folding compartment on the front side, and plenty of automotive odds and ends in the five-liter drawer opposite.

The three-seater bench can be moved
The five-seater bus comes in the standard version with two comfortable individual seats including armrests, in the higher trim levels also with a second one and in the top version completely electrically adjustable and with a massage function. In the rear, there is a three-seater bench seat with fully or asymmetrically folding backrests that can be moved by 15 centimeters in the same way. The two sliding doors are also standard.

Up to 100 km/h in just under ten seconds
To date, Volkswagen has only offered the 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor that is widely used in the Group and is already in service in all other ID models. The synchronous machine also provides the E-Bulli with a maximum torque of 310 Nm, which it converts from a standstill into the usual, almost noiseless and instantaneous thrust and allows it to reach 100 km/h in just under ten seconds.

It is always coupled with the currently largest battery in the ID range, which is specified with 82 kWh gross, but cannot deliver more than 77 kWh net. This should enable ranges of 423 kilometers according to WLTP, with a consumption of 21.7 to 20.5 kWh measured in the same way.

The turning circle is just under eleven meters
What is immediately noticeable after the first few kilometers is that the ID.Buzz has excellent suspension and hides the battery pack in the floor of the vehicle, which gives it a combat weight of two and a half tons, better than its corporate peers, even on bumpy terrain. The low center of gravity also ensures that the car remains steady even during sudden lane changes.

Despite its dimensions, it is extremely easy to handle and maneuver. The rear-wheel drive - which is emphasized by its sports car-typical mixed tires - and compactly built front axle enable a relatively small turning circle of just under eleven meters. This means that narrow streets and tricky parking maneuvers lose their terror.

Travel Assist and Park Assist Plus on request
But nowadays there are also electronic assistants for the latter. In addition to the standard VW systems such as Front Assist (environment monitoring with emergency braking function), proactive occupant protection or lane departure warning, the ID.Buzz is now available for the first time with Travel Assist using swarm data for independent lane guidance with only one lane limit and automated lane change from 90 km/h.

What's more, with Park Assist Plus with memory function, the e-bulli can also automatically execute a parking maneuver that has been driven and saved once over and over again - for example, to pull into the garage or carport. Now nothing can go wrong.

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ELECTRIC MOBILITY The prize of the electromobility association Swiss eMobility is awarded annually. The canton of Schaffhausen was able to convince the jury and will be awarded the "Golden Plug" of Electromobility 2021. 1

CLASSIC AS ELECTRIC The company Electrogenic specializes in converting classic models to electric drive. Now the English have turned a DS from Citroën into a battery-powered car with hydro-pneumatic suspension. 1

ALTERNATIVE IN THE TEST For just over a month, ten heavy Hyundai trucks with environmentally friendly, sustainable hydrogen drive have been on the road in Switzerland. Three alone for the Migros cooperatives in eastern Switzerland, Zurich and the Suhr distribution center. 1