When the big car brands publish style studies, also known as concept cars, they spare nothing. They design and promise what the state of the art has to offer. After all, they want to show that they always have one foot in the future. VW also refers to one of its most iconic vehicle designs as it steps into a new automotive era. The VW Bus - and especially its first two versions - is one of the cars that everyone knows, at least in Europe, and there is hardly a more popular vehicle among passenger cars. A good packaging for electrification, which not all car enthusiasts like. Especially not those who like cars that were current 50 or more years ago.

VW has given its electric cars the surname "ID", and the ID 3 has been the first purely electric VW to hit the roads since 2019. The ID. Buzz only exists as a study, but clearly shows where it comes from and where it is going. Visually, it is a grandchild of the VW T1 bus, aka Bulli. In terms of technology, it offers what is set to be the trend of tomorrow: digital driving aids including autonomous driving, augmented reality technology to project displays such as speed or navigation instructions into the driver's field of vision, a steering wheel that is a touchpad with handles on both sides and which makes buttons and switches in the cockpit superfluous. The furniture can be converted into different variants. In addition, the ID. Buzz, although shorter than a VW Sharan, is designed to offer eight seats thanks to its optimal layout. One of the things that makes this possible is that the engine and battery have been laid out on the vehicle floor, so to speak. And the vehicle designers had another fun idea: instead of headlights, the ID. Buzz has "intelligent LED eyes", as it says in its own description. If you are about to turn off, the car's eyes look in the direction you want to take. They can also wink at people at the side of the road. Whether this increases road safety remains to be seen.

A camper with all the trimmings is the ID. Buzz is not, at least in the style study presented, but rather a minivan. You can't stand in it and the bike garage in the interior is also unlikely to be realized in this vehicle. But perhaps the developers have a forward-looking solution for this need too. How about a luggage trolley that follows autonomously? According to VW communications, the ID. Buzz will be available to buy in car dealerships from 2022.