VW offering custom car wraps for ID.Buzz
On June 2, Volkswagen celebrated the second annual International Volkswagen Bus Day, paying homage to the brand's original Type 2 Microbus by collaborating with a company called Wrapmate on a groovy custom wrap program.
Using the newly launched 3D configurator, future ID.Buzz customers can start dreaming up a personalized vehicle design, visualizing a custom wrap and decals on their shiny new van. Starting this autumn, customers that created or selected a Wrapmate graphic can order their unique design package online or through their local participating Volkswagen dealership.
While the program will not be available in Canada at launch, our man at VW confirmed the brand's arm in this country is in discussion with the outfit that does the wraps and it is eager to see where those discussions will lead. Hey, that's better than a flat and final negatory.
All custom graphics will be produced using premium 3M vinyl for durability and colour quality purposes. Wrapmate's network of more than 2,000 certified installers south of the border permits each custom wrap to be expertly applied, meaning the thing should retain its appearance without wrinkles or fading.
“Volkswagen's collaboration with Wrapmate allows us to offer our customers a creative platform to personalize their ID.Buzz with both new designs and those that offer a nod to the heritage of the Volkswagen brand,” said Robert Gal, a senior manager with VW's accessory division.
This explains why a number of special release offerings designed by artists and VW brand partners will appear periodically during the program.
First out of the gate for that effort is a “Love the Earth” design by one Dr. Bob Hieronimus, a theme which fits the ID.Buzz and its Microbus progenitors to a T. Its font will look familiar to anyone who ever viewed an Austin Powers movie, with the phrase repeated in blue using 25 languages from all over the globe, representing many widely spoken vernaculars on each continent as well as two Indigenous languages, Māori and Navajo.
As for the van itself, the ID.Buzz should appear in this country in late 2024. Manufactured in Germany, models in Canada will be roughly 4,962 mm in length, 1,985 mm in width, and 1,927 mm in height — giving it about the same footprint as an Atlas Cross Sport but obviously in a much more angular (and delightfully retro) design.
Rear-wheel and all-wheel drive variants are in the hopper, with 282 and 330 horsepower respectively, but Canada gets only the high-capacity 91 kWh battery, which is a good thing.