Many automakers presented their latest and most ardent novelties during this year's Monterey Car Week, from Acura ZDX Type S all-electric sporty crossovers to Aston DB12 Volante convertibles, and from V12 hybrid Zenvo Aurora exotics to run-of-the-mill EVs, like VW's three-row ID. Buzz.
Actually, the latter doesn't truly belong in a discussion about Monterey's greatness, like the unique 'Golden Era' Bugatti Chiron Super Sport or the ten-unit Automobili Pininfarina B95 Barchetta all-electric speedster hypercar, right? However, companies like VW used the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance during Monterey Car Week as an everyday car show venue.
Revealed in Huntington Beach, California, in June, the three-row ID. Buzz will appear on the upper lawn at The Lodge at Pebble Beach on Sunday, August 20, in North American format. It is tailored specifically for the region, the ID. Buzz for America is longer than its two-row European cousin and also has a larger battery pack and more electric ponies.
The rear-mounted electric motor provides 282 horsepower as opposed to 201 for the European spec, and the battery pack stands at 91 kWh (gross), compared with the two-row model's 82 kWh unit. With the latter sandwiched under the floorboard, the modern VW ID. Buzz respects the format of its Type 2 ancestor and has a quirky retro-modern styling to tie in the connection even further.
But, unlike the meager predecessor, the ID. Buzz is much more powerful – there's also a dual-motor AWD configuration with 330 hp, which is akin to the GTX model for Europe. In America, though, they are not using the sporty moniker. And there's no need to, if you ask the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, because even a 'Kombi' designation can hide a lot of virtual wonders.
According to Robert, the virtual artist better known as rob3rtdesign on social media, is passionate about all sorts of stuff - if they have a VW or South American flavor. On this occasion, he abandoned the usual, localized stuff – like the VW Beetle pickup, Chevy Opala, VW TL 1600, or Puma projects. And instead, he refocused his CGI attention on the T2's electric evolution, presenting his vision of a thoroughly slammed and ultra-widebody ID. Buzz 'Kombi.'
Dressed entirely in black attire, save for a few dark chrome touches that try to connect the dots with the glorious Type 2 Transporter past, this proud successor of the Microbus/Kombi would be perfect if Disney decided to water down Darth Vader's story into a PG13 show where the mighty Sith lord is a surfer and a member of the tuning, customization, and personalization community.
Jokes aside, this pixel master's visions shouldn't be taken lightly – his old-school Kombi recreations have jumped out of fiction into reality last year in time for SEMA 2022 with help from Kenny Pfitzer Design, The Original Cascade clothing brand, and AL13 Wheels! And they made two examples, not just one – a brown van with more windows than we can count, plus a yellow-and-black pickup truck sporting a couple of matching surfboards!
Now, hopefully, the aftermarket world will take notice yet again of this CGI expert's flair in designing slammed and widebody VW minivans. Frankly, it's about time modern hipsters restarted the trend of these iconic models being an all-purpose model for both work, leisure, and 'van life.'
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News