During the 2023 Star Wars Celebration Europe, Volkswagen unveiled a new Mandalorian-inspired ID. Buzz. Full of little touches that nod to the show, representatives from both Lucasfilm and VW were on hand at the show to talk about the collaboration.
Alexandra Von Schaewen, creative project manager with Volkswagen worked hand in hand with Lucasfilm’s VP and creative director Doug Chiang to create the vehicle. It blends themes from both the Mandalorian with the Star Wars prequel trilogy as Chiang is the man who designed the Naboo N-1 Starfighter from those films.
Those influences are clearly seen in the beskar-colored pieces of the EV along with the bright yellow stripe and wheel inserts. “We treat our vehicles with a lot of character and personality, and the ID. Buzz is a terrific character.
If you look at the front, there’s a terrific, warm, inviting face,” Chiang told Starwars.com. “So it seemed natural that we would merge the two iconic brands together, and for me, trying to imbue the N-1 aesthetic into the car was just brilliant.”
More: VW ID. Buzz Rides Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Coattails In New Spot
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Von Schaewen echoed those thoughts and called out her favorite part. “For us, it was really important to catch the character of the Mandalorian and bring it into a car… I personally like the rims, because it really shows that we not only focused on the color but really go into detail. We have the mud horn logo in the rims,” she said.
Notably, this isn’t the first time that the two companies have worked together. Last year, VW brought two ID. Buzzes to the premier of Obi-Wan Kenobi. One themed in red and black denoting Darth Vader while the other in beige and black signified the title character. This new Mandalorian-inspired bus seems almost identical to those vehicles.
With that in mind we wonder what you think of it. Did the designers knock this all-electric van out of the universe? Or is it just another clone that misses its target? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
