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Much of what charmed the public about Volkswagen’s new electric vehicles are their neoclassic designs, best exemplified by the ID Buggy and ID Buzz concepts. But like the ill-fated, amphibian-looking ID Buggy, the original ID Buzz concept’s previously shown styling probably won’t reach production. This we have learned from footage of a near-finalized prototype taken in the Alps.
Spotted by YouTube channel CarSpyMedia, this ID Buzz test mule bears only a loose resemblance to the concept that made us fall in love with the reimagined microbus. Its bumper is more pronounced than the concept’s, giving the impression of a big underbite, and its headlights are of a more contemporary VW design than the fantastical LED strips we first saw. These are understandable changes, and would be fully forgivable had VW not compromised the ID Buzz’s characteristic slab-sided fascia with a fake grille. As a look goes, it works about as well as a trilby does with cargo shorts and a Legend of Zelda tee.
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Further examination reveals this test mule has one door on its driver’s side, two on the passenger’s, and blanked-out rear windows, affirming that VW is advancing the panel van concept it displayed in 2018. Similar to the passenger variant, this will reportedly be available with a single, rear-axle motor or twins for all-wheel drive, and pull power from either 82- or 111-kilowatt-hour batteries. In the 2021 VW ID.4, the former two return more than 200 miles of range, but have consistently fallen short of the potential 250 advertised by VW.
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Between the ID Buzz’s compromised design, and the somewhat underwhelming performance from VW’s MEB EV platform so far, it’s hard not to feel one’s enthusiasm for this electric van fizzle a little. That’s not to say it won’t be exciting to give it a try when it’s slated to hit the U.S. in 2023, but the sense of romance is no longer as strong, and that should be a concern for an automaker that’s staking its U.S. market comeback on EVs like this.
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