VW ID Buzz (electric Kombi) spotted testing with clever camouflage

The carmaker is hiding the newest Microbus in plain sight.

Carmakers typically go to great lengths to conceal their new models during field testing, mostly using camouflage patterns to disrupt the eye from distinguishing the vehicle’s actual details. For its upcoming ID Buzz, Volkswagen went the other route, openly flaunting the van’s production body while hiding it in plain sight.

VW ID Buzz testing 1

Volkswagen saw no need for intricate patterns to disguise the ID Buzz during testing

The VW ID Buzz certainly generated, er, buzz more than four years ago as a concept that was visually influenced by the original Type 2 Transporter. YouTube’s CarSpyMedia channel recently caught sight of the electric people-hauler during testing in the Alps, and the model features a more conventional-looking skin.

Gone is the familiar bikini-bottom fascia, replaced by a high-mounted chrome grille bordered by LED headlamps. Except those aren’t the actual clusters, as they are covered by stickers that merely simulate the look, effectively hiding them prior to the ID Buzz’s debut. Even the fog lamps on the corners of the front bumper are fake, part of an elaborate wrap that spans nearly the vehicle’s width, leaving the lower air intake exposed.

VW ID Buzz testing rear

That bulge on the taillights' leading edge gives away their actual size

VW keeps up the charade at the back, as more stickers shape the wraparound taillights with a somewhat crude silhouette, with a noticeable crease on the leading edges hinting at their actual size. Black wraps between the wheels further try to throw the casual observer off the scent, while covered side windows beyond the front row give the impression that the vehicle being tested is a utility variant.

Details are scant as far as the interior is concerned, although customers can expect a fully digital floating-type gauge cluster just beyond the steering wheel, with a switch for the transmission jutting out from the screen’s right side.

VW ID Buzz testing side

The VW ID Buzz will be unveiled in full by 2022

If all this has gotten you excited for the all-electric incarnation of the Microbus, the VW ID Buzz will be making its European debut in 2022, eventually making its way to U.S. customers in 2023.

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Know more about Volkswagen Kombi 2024

Volkswagen Kombi 2024

Officially known as the Volkswagen Type 2, depending on the body type it has, it is also known as the Transporter, Kombi, or the Microbus. It is a commercial vehicle that was introduced by the German automaker, Volkswagen, in 1950. It is the second car model by Volkswagen that is the successor of the Type 1, Beetle. The Kombi was derived from the Beetle and it was referred to as Type 2 as designated by its maker. The Kombi was one of the pioneers when it comes to passenger and modern cargo vans. It raised forward control vehicles in the US in the 1960s. The Kombi had other names and because of the popularity of the counterculture movement in the 1960s, it was also named the Hippie van. Brazil has the last factory that manufactured the T2 series which stopped production on December 31, 2013, due to the launch of stricter safety laws in the country. This ended the era of rear-engine Volkswagens. The Kombi camper is the latest version of Volkswagen’s Transporter and the spiritual successor to the old Kombi.

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Joseph Paolo Estabillo

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Joseph holds a degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines Diliman and has been writing professionally since 1999. He has written episodes for CNN Philippines' motoring show Drive, and has worked on corporate projects for MG Philippines and Pilipinas Shell. Aside from being Philkotse.com’s Content Lead, he also writes content for numerous car dealerships in the U.S., spanning multiple brands such as Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Maserati, among others.

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