Tech expert Kurt Knutsson discusses LEVA, the autonomous robot that walks, rolls and lifts 187 pounds of cargo for all-terrain deliveries. You gotta give it to VW for nailing it with their adorable design that modernizes an icon. The ID. Buzz autonomous van is Volkswagen's latest step toward making driverless transportation a real option for cities and companies. Instead of modifying existing cars, Volkswagen's mobility brand, MOIA, designed this van from scratch for fleet operations. As a result, public transit agencies and corporate mobility providers now have access to a clean, connected and scalable solution for autonomous travel.

Uber is expanding its robotaxi ambitions with the help of Volkswagen. The two companies are teaming up to offer autonomous rides in ID. They plan to deploy thousands of the vehicles in multiple US markets over the next decade. Testing is slated to start later this year with human safety drivers at the wheel. All going well, Uber and VW aim to start running ID.Buzz robotaxi rides in Los Angeles in late 2026.

Rather than subject us to useless grilles on its EVs, Škoda is experimenting with color-coded warnings that show when it's safe or dangerous to use the crosswalk. The Czech carmaker has built a crude prototype for now that hardly seems as cool as the renders, but the company says the device could be integrated on the Škoda Enyaq iV within a couple of years. That EV is built on the same platform as the Volkswagen ID.4, and while the VW doesn't suffer from a big grille, the technology would nonetheless be useful on the German EV, which is sold in the U.S. where pedestrian injuries and deaths are increasing at an alarming rate. The robot is known as the IPA2X, and it was designed to help kids, seniors, and people with disabilities cross roads safely. The 6.5-foot robot will be tall enough to look over rows of parked cars to detect oncoming traffic, and will be able to "talk" with modern cars, alerting drivers to the presence of pedestrians.

Head designer Klaus Bischoff explains why VW's futuristic self-driving electric van has a retro look Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess has confirmed on Twitter that the production version of the Microbus-inspired ID.Buzz electric van will be debuted on March 9. The production VW ID.Buzz has been teased wearing a psychedelic disguise. Volkswagen hasn't released details on the reveal event, but recently displayed a prototype of the vehicle done up in a psychedelic wrap to disguise its finer features. The ID.Buzz prototype show car leaned heavily into the retro look. Full details on the ID.Buzz have not been revealed, but it will be offered in retail and commercial versions with either rear-wheel-drive like the original Microbus or all-wheel-drive and a driving range of up to 300 miles per charge.