Adorable ID.Buzz Commercial Van Tries On Many Hats for European Customers

• Volkswagen showed off four ID.Buzz commercial vehicle concepts at the Frankfurt, Germany, commercial-vehicle show this week.

• Each van was made by a different specialist manufacturer and outfitted for tasks ranging from refrigeration to emergency response.

• The concept vans, labeled as "near production," are intended for Europe, with Volkswagen planning to only bring the extended-wheelbase passenger version of the van to the U.S.

We're sure Volkswagen wasn't intending to hurt us so much by unveiling four adorable ID.Buzz concepts at the Frankfurt commercial-vehicle show. Yet, somehow it hurts to know that these cute and seemingly practical compact cargo vans exist and we won't get them. It's not Volkswagen's fault that Nissan stopped production of the NV200, or that Mercedes is dropping the Metris. Nor should we blame Volkswagen because Ram pulled the plug on the ProMaster City—or complain to Ford for flipping the off switch on the Transit Connect. Meanwhile, European commercial customers can look forward to a whole lineup of interesting, attractive, and practical ID.Buzz variants, so there's that.

The flex-cab concept, adapted by the Dutch company Snoeks, features a configurable five-seater layout for passenger transportation needs. The seats can be electronically folded, allowing the van to transition from a people carrier to a goods transporter. The paramedic version of the ID.Buzz, built by Bösenberg, has room for three people. The cargo area has been converted to be modular, able to store medical equipment and serve as an emergency work space. According to Volkswagen, the incorporated emergency light system runs on a different battery system from the rest of the car, meaning it will not hamper range in emergency situations.