A week ago, we discovered that the Volkswagen ID Buzz is quite the Star Wars geek: This slick electric van starred in an ad for the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney Plus. Now, with the show’s premiere having taken place, VW deepened its fandom with two special-edition vans.
Volkswagen brought two modified ID Buzz EVs to the Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere in Anaheim, California. Each model is based on a different kind of ID Buzz, and each carries its own unique touches that connect to the Star Wars universe. Will you be able to buy these? Probably not. But who cares? They’re neat.
The ID Buzz Light Side Edition is for the good guys. Based on the passenger variant of the van, the chrome on the top half is reminiscent of various ships and droids from the Star Wars universe. The blue strip running along the side harkens to Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, while the beige lower half is colored similarly to Kenobi’s tunic. Even the glass picks up a blue tint, which plays well alongside blue underglow lighting. Rebel Alliance logos can be found on the windows and wheels.
The ID Buzz Dark Side Edition takes a cargo-van variant and delivers something much darker. The top half is matte black, while the bottom half is gloss black. Darth Vader’s red lightsaber lends its color to the headlights, windows and light strips, and it extends to the underglow lighting, as well. This one, as you may expect, is covered in Empire logos.
Sadly, the ID Buzz Cargo will not actually make its way to the US, but the passenger variant will. Our version will be offered in three-row, long-wheelbase format only. It runs on VW’s MEB scalable electric platform, the same bits that underpin the ID 4 electric SUV you can see on roads today. The interior is as functional as any van should be, with plenty of storage spaces, a big infotainment screen and even optional massaging front seats. A single electric motor will offer 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque, with the required electrons coming from an 84-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The US version is expected to debut in 2023, with customers taking delivery in 2024.
