Car and Driver: Volkswagen’s Microbus-Like CES Concept to Be Named “BUDD.e”

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What are buddies for, if not a name association to a yet-unrevealed Volkswagen electric vehicle concept? Volkswagen’s tease for its Consumer Electronics Show–bound EV concept continues, and today the automaker posted the photo above to Twitter. Until now, the boxy-appearing VW concept has gone unnamed, but Volkswagen’s tweeted image appears to clear that up, as it shows the name right on the car’s tailgate!

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Bear with us, because we understand that the above photo isn’t terribly clear, what with the extreme camera angle and one of the letters being partially obscured by the effects of forced perspective. From right to left, we can make out an “e,” a period, a “D,” another “D,” and a “U.” The final letter is almost unreadable, but a pair of light-catching surfaces in its fuzziness hints strongly at a “B.” To spare you a cheerleader-style rundown of letters, it spells “BUDD.e.” As in, buddy. Got it?

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Further supporting the BUDD.e theory is the fact that it echoes “Bulli,” which was the name of the last Microbus concept VW trotted out, at the Geneva auto show in 2011. That name, Bulli, was a nickname for the old Microbus in Germany. We came up with no nicknames that rhyme with, sound like, or otherwise resemble BUDD.e save for a classic “Buddywagen” toy VW bus. Still, we’re going with “BUDD.e,” since it sounds friendly, like your pal. And, given all that’s happened at Volkswagen recently, you’ve got to figure VW really wants to be friends again. We’ll know the name for sure next week, when the concept debuts in Las Vegas. In the meantime, here’s another teaser in video form:

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