That Moving Volkswagen Badge Is Hiding Something Useful

On some Volkswagens, selecting Reverse makes the rear badge tilt outward to reveal a camera. When the camera is tucked away, the emblem helps protect its lens from road dirt. It is a neat solution to a familiar problem: a reversing camera that becomes almost useless after a wet journey.

A car can have perfectly clean windows and still show a murky grey picture on the dashboard when you go to park. Anyone who has wiped a rear camera with a thumb, then wondered where to wipe the thumb, will appreciate Volkswagen’s thinking.

The back of a hatchback gets filthy. Rainwater and road spray collect across the tailgate, leaving the number plate, rear glass and anything else in their path wearing much the same coating. Put an exposed camera there and its little lens needs cleaning too. Often, the first reminder comes when you are already reversing into a tight space.

Volkswagen gave the camera somewhere to hide.

On cars fitted with this arrangement, the familiar round VW emblem pivots out when Reverse is selected. The camera emerges beneath it, gets its view of the road behind, then retreats when no longer needed. Volkswagen used the design on versions of the Golf and Beetle, although the presence of a VW badge alone does not mean a car has one. Equipment varies between models and specifications. 

There is something pleasing about watching it work for the first time. The badge looks like an ordinary piece of trim until it suddenly moves. More importantly, covering the lens between uses gives it some shelter from the spray that otherwise settles on an exposed camera. Volkswagen’s technical material identifies protection from dirt and debris as a benefit of the location. 

It still pays to look at the picture when viewing a used car. With the vehicle safely stationary and the area clear, ask the seller to demonstrate the camera. Check that the image appears and that the emblem opens and closes properly. A camera listed in an advertisement is only useful if the whole assembly works.

If the badge sticks or the picture disappears, forcing the mechanism open is unlikely to improve the afternoon. Have the fault checked before buying parts or trying to persuade it by hand.

The covered lens can still need cleaning, especially through a dirty winter. But there is an everyday convenience to this little arrangement that a brochure photograph cannot quite convey. You finish a wet motorway journey, turn into a parking space and select Reverse. The back of the car is filthy. With any luck, the view on the screen is still clear.