The Volkswagen ID Buzz—the EV version of the carmaker’s iconic Microbus—is scheduled to go on sale in the US in 2024. And with just 24 hours to go before VW debuts the US-spec ID Buzz at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we’ve already got customization on our minds, hence this Volkswagen ID Buzz surfer-style tuning proposal.
While a short-wheelbase form of the ID Buzz has been on sale in Europe since 2022, North America is only getting the long-wheelbase form. Even so, the Old Continent release means real-world ID Buzz tuning projects now deliver adventure camper conversions and other such goodies.
The custom ID Buzz we have here is virtual though, as the battery-powered VW van received a thorough transformation from the artist known as Robert Design (aka rob3rtdesign).
Old-school VW Microbuses have always been an important part of the surfer community, which explains the board adorning the roof of this example.
More importantly, this ID Buzz gets a widebody conversion that stands out when compared to real-life kits like the one offered by German specialist Prior Design. And we’re not even referring to the overfenders borrowing the look of the RWB Porsches done by Akira Nakai.
You see, this is a VW ID Buzz with a retro makeover. The said artist managed to mix modern aero bits like the front splitter and the rear diffuser with vintage chrome trim, which is present on the overfenders, the body, and the side windows. Now that’s something you don’t pull off easily and it perfectly ties in with the 70-year heritage of the Microbus. Another neat trick of the sort sees the ID Buzz gaining an extra side window, a tiny unit placed at the rear.
EV body kits have to work around the lack of exhaust tips and this ID Buzz retro widebody does it by simply placing diffuser-style elements where the exhaust tips would be.
Volkswagen ID Buzz retro tuning sounds like a proper build recipe
Now, if the color and material scheme on this VW ID Buzz looks familiar, it’s probably because it’s borrowed from Rober Design’s Volkswagen Beetle Pickup Mihnea showed you back in June.
And this isn’t pure fantasy, either. That’s because Robert Design’s fame has gone way beyond his native Brazil or the virtual realm. From his Beetle Targa and the pair of widebody Type 2 VW Microbuses we met at SEMA 2022, the examples are engaging to say the least. So there’s more than just a slim chance somebody will build an ID Buzz based on these renderings.
The US-version VW ID Buzz specs and pricing
The three-row US-spec ID Buzz comes with a standard rear-mounted motor making 282 hp, which places it in a different league compared to the 201 hp base model offered in Europe. However, a dual-motor (AWD) setup will be available at launch, with this upping the ante to 330 hp.
The battery of the three-row is also larger than that of the two-row model, having gone from 82 to 91 kWh. One of the reasons sitting behind these upgrades is that the US-spec ID Buzz needed to justify its expected starting price of $50,000-$60,000.