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THIS NEW STAR WARS - VOLKSWAGEN PARTNERSHIP IS ELECTRIC WITH THE OBI-WAN ID. BUZZ

Some things feel like they’ve been around forever, and in the world of movies and pop culture the name Obi-Wan Kenobi is well known, in fact, it’s basically a household name which is quite impressive considering that it’s the character in a movie and not an actual person. The fact that the Star Wars franchise has been around since the late 70s does help of course, and in the 45 years it’s been around, it’s amassed a cult-like following that sees legions of fans in many countries. These are the serious kind, when a Star Wars movie or series is premiered they’re the ones who will attend in full costume, even speaking the made-up languages from the movie. With Disney throwing mad money at the franchise, we’re seeing many top-quality shows created to give the main characters more time to shine by showing their origin stories and also filling in gaps between the storyline in the movies - the production is epic, and these new series’ are visual extravaganzas. The channel’s latest series is aimed at the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi - legendary Jedi Master and the man responsible for training Anakin Skywalker, and Volkswagen have created a pair of limited edition ID. Buzz busses to celebrate the launch of the series.

Now of course in any series we have good guys and bad guys, and each gets their own set of crazy fans, and so with this in mind, the design folk at Volkswagen and Lucasfilm have created two different limited edition ID. Buzz models, one for good and one for bad. These limited edition vans are dubbed the Light Side Edition and the Dark Side Edition and they are part of this year’s Star Wars Celebration that takes place in Anaheim, California and were revealed on the red carpet at the show’s first release. Obi-Wan actor Ewan McGregor was in attendance too, which makes sense as he’s also a Volkswagen Brand Ambassador. This collaboration between Volkswagen and Lucasfilm designers saw them using a special adhesive film on the body of the ID - designers have created skins to convey the two sides of the epic war, drawing specific inspiration from Ob-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, two of the most iconic characters in the upcoming series.

"The opportunity to explore how ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ and the Volkswagen brand could come together on a vehicle was pure fun. The themes of good and evil, light and dark aren't necessarily concepts we apply to cars. The ID. Buzz collaboration offered an unique opportunity to have the cars become graphic reflections of two iconic  characters,” says Doug Chaing, Lucasfilm VP and Executive Creative Director. “In close collaboration with Lucasfilm, we combine the timeless and functional design of the ID. Buzz with the fascinatingly detailed world of Obi-Wan Kenobi,” explains Volkswagen Head of Design Jozef Kabaň. This philosophy also compelled the ID. Buzz lettering on the rear of the vehicles, which was designed in the classic Star Wars “Aurebesh” font – instead of in the font of standard Volkswagen models - this is just awesome and the Star Wars fans will no doubt be copying this on their daily drivers. Other lettering inspired by the series, is located on the fenders.

The ID. Buzz Light Side Edition is based on the passenger version of the car, the color of the lower section is beige, taking inspiration from the hue of the Obi-Wan Kenobi’s tunic and the

chrome on the upper section references the spaceships and droids from the Star Wars universe. That blue line on the side that continues to the front and into headlights and light strip was done to symbolise Obi-Wan’s blue lightsaber. The glass surfaces have been designed in transparent blue, matching the underbody lighting perfectly. We also find the emblems for the Rebel Alliance on the side windows as well as on the center caps of the customised 21-inch wheels. On the Dar Side of things, we find the base is the cargo version of the van, the Cargo2. As expected, this one is in black with red, the colours of Darth Vader's, well, everything. Here we see the van covered in shiny black on the lower area , while the upper section of the Buzz is covered in matte black and the side lines, headlights, light strips and window surfaces are finished in red - inspired by Vader’s lightsaber. The contrast of red and black is continued with red underbody lightning as well as in the center of the uniquely 21-inch rims. For this ID. Buzz, the logos used are from the Empire.


Take a look at this short YouTube video where iconic Star Wars robots C-3PO and R2-D2 take a look at the limited edition Volkswagen ID. Buzz models created to celebrate the launch of the Obi-Wan series on Disney+ : Volkswagen ID. Buzz #StartWithASmile | Volkswagen.


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