Volkswagen ID. Buzz And Its New Innovative Driver Assistance Systems

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz and its fully integrated latest-generation intelligent assistance systems, making driving even more convenient and safer.

New and optionally available, the Travel Assist with swarm data and Park Assist Plus with memory function are also offered for other new European-produced ID. models like the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5.

Volkswagen’s management board member for development, Kai Grünitz, remarked, “In the ID. Buzz, iconic design meets innovative technology, and this is reflected in new convenience and assistance systems. We are taking the next step forward on the way to highly automated driving with the use of swarm data in the latest Travel Assist. This is in line with Volkswagen’s commitment to offer premium technology and innovations in as many models as possible.”

First off, the Travel Assist with swarm data. It can keep the vehicle in lane, maintain a distance from the vehicle in front and keep the vehicle at a maximum speed set by the driver.

Among other things, it uses the adaptive lane guidance system for this, which actively keeps the vehicle in the middle of its lane. 

It adapts itself to the driver’s driving behaviour and can also keep the vehicle further left or right in the lane instead of exactly in the centre. 

Plus, via its predictive cruise control and cornering assist function, the vehicle speed can be adapted to valid speed limits and the course of the road, e.g., bends and roundabouts.

Then, if anonymised swarm data is available from other Volkswagen models, Travel Assist with swarm data can use just one identified road lane marking to keep the vehicle in lane. 

In this case, the assistance system is also available on country roads without a central lane marking, for example. 

Innovatively, the anonymised swarm data is generated by several hundred thousand Volkswagen vehicles, from which the database is ever-growing.

For this, the vehicle fleet collects map material with specific features from the vehicle’s surrounding area such as marker lines and road signs, and automatically sends this information to the cloud. 

From there, individually adapted data is sent to the participating Volkswagen models that are currently driving along the relevant road sections.

Other than that, when driving at speeds above 90 Km/h, the system can actively support lane changes if this is desired by the driver. 

Upon activating it, the lane change process can be started and executed by simply tapping the turn signal. 

To complete the operation, the sensors must not have detected any objects around the vehicle and the capacitive steering wheel must be able to detect the driver’s hands. 

After, the vehicle will then automatically steer itself into the desired lane, and the driver is able to intervene and take over the manoeuvre at any time.

Second assistance system is the Park Assist Plus with memory function. This system can be used to teach the vehicle up to five individual parking manoeuvres. 

Its memory function remembers parking procedures at speeds below 40 Km/h and covering distances of up to 50 metres. 

All that is needed by the driver is to just park the vehicle once and save the parking procedure, and the vehicle can then repeat the learned parking manoeuvre on its own.

Besides this function, it can also search for a parking space and carry out the parking manoeuvre, which can be activated via the Parking menu. 

When driving past parking spaces, the system will detect suitable parallel parking spaces at speeds of up to 40 Km/h and parking bays at up to 20 Km/h. 

Actions needed by the driver is to only stop at the selected parking space, press the brake and activate and monitor the parking procedure. 

With the aid of the sensors that monitor the surroundings, the system will steer, accelerate, brake, change gears and park the vehicle all by itself.

Also, it can continue parking manoeuvres that have been started by the driver and complete them, if possible, as well as providing support when driving out of parallel parking spaces.

Last but not least, in addition to these two new intelligent functions, the ID. Buzz also features other driver assistance systems which are available as standard.

E.g., Swerve Support, Oncoming Vehicle Braking when turning, Driver Alert System, AEB, Front Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Monitoring, Lane Assist, Dynamic Road Sign Display, and the Car2X Traffic Hazard Alert, where vehicles inform each other of critical situations. 

Topping these would be the optionally available Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, anti-theft alarm system with interior monitoring, keyless advanced locking and starting system, Area View and Side Assist.