The successor to VW's Touran and Sharan minivans will likely be the ID Buzz model.

Volkswagen will launch the production version of the 2017 ID Buzz concept car around 2022, also in the United States.

The vehicle will be the spiritual successor to the iconic Microbus. Although the Microbus will continue its life as a transportation vehicle outside the US, the emergence of the ID Buzz will not come at the expense of the popular van. Moreover, a new seventh generation of the vehicle is currently being developed.

Instead, the ID Buzz will likely replace the Touran and Sharan minivans sold overseas, as well as VW's SUV lineup, Autocar reported Wednesday, based on comments from VW's head of research and development Frank Welsch.

'We currently have other concepts [instead of minivans], such as the Tiguan Allspace, a seven-seat SUV. 'And we are preparing the next generation with the ID family, including the ID Buzz, which is now in development. These are the real successors to the Touran."

The Touran is expected to be discontinued after the current model completes its life cycle in a few years. The slightly larger Sharan will be discontinued as early as the end of 2020.

For the production version, the ID Buzz will be mounted on the Volkswagen Group's modular MEB platform for series electric vehicles. The battery capacity reaches 111 kilowatt-hours and the range is more than 300 miles.