Volkswagen ID. The Buzz, which as far as I know is the only vehicle on the American market that is billed as a fully electric van, is on hold, according to a Friday report from Carscoops. A company representative told the site, “After a careful assessment of EV market conditions, we have made a strategic decision not to move forward. [model year 2026] ID. Buzz production in the US market. ”
The company told Carscoops that rumors circulating at dealerships about the car’s cancellation are false, and that the company “has given dealers this option: ID. The Buzz continues to serve as an important product in the Volkswagen brand halo, and protecting its presence in the market remains a priority.” VW also hinted at some sort of “revolution” for the 2027 model.
Although this is an official line from the parent company, the car being completely removed from the American market in 2026 is probably not a good sign. If I were a company that was killing a product, and I didn’t want the public to be so angry about it, I could say I’m stopping it, and then quietly announce that it’s actually gone forever after a while when the story will get less attention.
Despite being the most interesting car on US roads at the moment, the ID. Buzz has no entry point. It is relatively compact, with two sliding doors, and three rows of seats. As a minivan and EV, it theoretically has practical applications as a family car that costs less to run in the long run.
But none of these considerations outweigh the reality for most people with children. Home EV charging in the US is still rare unless someone installs it on purpose. Populous urban areas have chargers everywhere, but the types of urban homes where people live with children still tend to be inhospitable to EV life.
Perhaps most importantly, ID pricing. Buzz is astronomy. The base price for the 2025 model year was $61,545 according to Car and Driver, and Redditors reported paying up to $80,000 for theirs. This is the price of a Cybertruck-level EV. You really could get a Mercedes-Benz eSprinter at that price point.
But the price is reasonable, because the ID. Buzz only makes sense as a luxury splurge for well-heeled people who love a fresh and quirky look. And that’s a shame.
Three years ago, when the hype for ID. Buzz was so high, Jill Lepore profiled it for The New Yorker, noting the difference between VW’s new van and its predecessor, technically called the Volkswagen Type 2, but better known as the Minibus. You found that the gadget is heavy.
“The Buzz, in the way of the new EVs, is faster than the Boeing, it has less machinery—pulling levers, moving wheels, pumping brakes—than a computer you ride in while its screen flashes little reminders at you. This is what new cars do, what they are. It’s not what old cars did, or were.”
Is this the end, or just a short break? Dark clouds are building over the US economy, but they seem to be dissipating, and the politics surrounding EVs in the US range from iffy to downright hostile, but charging infrastructure is growing nonetheless. Volkswagen, which is currently scaling back production and testing AI, is probably not pretending here: I doubt the company knows what will happen next with ID. Buzz in the US But if it returns in 2027, it would be nice to see the next version take more cues from its humble, functional ancestor.
