OREANDA-NEWS. January 12, 2016. Volkswagen presents the innovative concept BUDD-e, which is based on the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB) and is the next big step for electric vehicles, at the CES in Las Vegas. The Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand, Dr. Herbert Diess, said in front of 2300 visitors to the show, that "the BUDD-e is a realistic trend setter". With the innovative e-Golf Touch he also demonstrated the next generation of infotainment for large scale production with a new display and control concept, which includes gesture control and larger displays.

Volkswagen stays on course for innovation. The world premiere of the BUDD-e shows the next step towards the mobility of the future. Its newly developed electric drive enables a driving range of up to 533 kilometers (NEDC) / 233 Miles (EPA estimated real-world driving range). The all-wheel drive vehicle's system has a total power output of 235 kW/317 PS. With the batteries located in the vehicle floor, the concept permits entirely new, unrestricted forms of interior design. "We are developing completely new and unique vehicle concepts – especially designed for long-distance electromobility," said Dr. Diess. The BUDD-e is a modern interpretation of the first Volkswagen bus. One of its highlights is the charging cycle. It is possible to charge the battery to 80 percent of its capacity within just around 30 minutes.

Parallel to this, Volkswagen presented the e-Golf Touch, which is based on the production model. With its state-of-the-art infotainment system the e-Golf Touch reflects one of the key connectivity trends of the near future. Not only does the e-Golf Touch have innovative gesture control, it also features a further developed version of the Modular Infotainment Toolkit (MIB) with a 9.2-inch display. This touch display merges the operating worlds of smartphones and automobiles.

The future will also be characterized by automated driving. "It will be part of our everyday lives and will change mobility completely. Volkswagen has a lot of ideas how to use these cutting edge technologies and bring them to our customers", says Dr. Diess.