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.
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.
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.
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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