Lucasfilm and Volkswagen Collaborated Inspired by The Mandalorian

Dan Brooks, a writer at StarWars.com, recently had an exciting opportunity to speak with two influential figures in the worlds of film and automotive design. The interview centered around a collaboration between Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang and Volkswagen’s Alexandra Von Schaewen, which resulted in a new ID.Buzz wrap inspired by the third season of The Mandalorian.

The wrap, which was prominently featured at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, has generated a lot of buzz among Star Wars fans and automotive enthusiasts alike. In his interview, Brooks explores the creative process behind the collaboration and delves into some of the key design elements that went into creating the striking wrap.

Chiang, who is an executive at Lucasfilm and an accomplished concept artist, talks about his inspiration for the design and how he worked closely with Von Schaewen and her team at Volkswagen to bring the vision to life. Von Schaewen, who is the Head of Exterior Design at Volkswagen, discusses the technical challenges involved in wrapping a car in such an intricate and detailed design.

The interview provides a fascinating glimpse into the worlds of film and automotive design, as well as the creative process that goes into bringing a unique vision to life. With the ID.Buzz wrap already generating so much excitement, it’s clear that the collaboration between Lucasfilm and Volkswagen has produced something truly special that fans of both Star Wars and automobiles will appreciate.

“Last year’s campaign was so successful, and I had so much fun designing the wraps for the Obi-Wan cars, where we did the light side and the dark side,” he tells StarWars.com. “So this time we thought it would be terrific if we could come up with another idea.”

The result is a new ID.Buzz wrap inspired by the new season of The Mandalorian — now streaming on Disney+ — and Din Djarin’s modded Naboo N-1 starfighter. Debuting at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, the Mando-themed design is subtle and smart, incorporating the N-1’s metallic color scheme and other details, like the yellow stripe from the ship’s original paint job, vertical lines mimicking panels, and the mudhorn insignia, which Mando sports on his beskar armor.

“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 says. “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.”

“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 mudhorn logo in the rims,” Von Schaewen says.

“For me, it’s the whole package,” Chiang says. “All of those little elements add up to create one beautiful, amazing character.”