Volkswagen Puts The ID.Buzz On Pause
We waited years for the Volkswagen ID.Buzz to reach market. Then it finally arrived and we liked driving it and how it utilized interior space -- but we also dinged it for low range and a high price. We saw the sales environment for EVs become more hostile in general, as the EV tax credit went away and tariffs were enacted. We watched as sales flopped.
Now, those slow sale numbers means the ID.Buzz will take a year off when it comes to availability in North America.
The Buzz isn't being killed -- what VW will do is not have a 2026 model-year Buzz. Leftover 2025 inventory will cover the time until the 2027 Buzz launches at some point in 2026.
Carscoops reported this over the weekend -- and The Drive had already reported a production pause back in October.
According to Carscoops, Volkswagen dealers were telling customers that the van was being DQ'd, and Volkswagen confirmed it.
From Carscoops:
A Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed the situation to Carscoops, stating, “Following a careful assessment of current EV market conditions, we have made the strategic decision not to move forward with MY26 ID. Buzz production for the U.S. market.”
Dealers had apparently implied the model was dead, but VW pushed back and said that wasn't the case.
From The Drive:
“The ID. Buzz remains an important part of the Volkswagen portfolio, and I want to be clear: we are not canceling this product in the U.S. market. To optimize inventory, we’re leveraging 2025 models to support our dealers through mid-year, and we’re excited to welcome Model Year 2027 in 2026.” — Kjell Gruner, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America
Whether the Buzz will actually return as a 2027, we'll have to see. It's also possible there could be changes, such as a lower price tag.
Until then, if you want a ID.Buzz, there will be plenty of 2025 inventory to search.
[Image: Volkswagen]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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It probably has something to do with German factories closing down. They must be planning to resume production in places that still have electricity. But it takes time and hence the gap.
"They must be planning to resume production in places that still have electricity."
So, China.