There’s been some confusion across the Volkswagen ID. Buzz’s skipping of the 2026 mannequin yr within the U.S. Is it a pause, or one thing else? Talking to InsideEVs throughout a media roundtable on the 2026 New York Worldwide Auto Present, Volkwagen Group of America CEO Kjell Gruner set the file straight.
“We simply skip the mannequin yr ‘26 with the ID. Buzz. We simply go immediately from ‘25 to ‘27,” he mentioned. The CEO assured the media that there wouldn’t be a niche in seller stock: “In opposition to different rumors, there’s a constant supply available in the market.”
Again in December, Volkswagen despatched a memo to sellers, letting them know that the ID.Buzz wouldn’t have a 2026 mannequin yr. “The ID. Buzz continues to function an necessary halo product for the Volkswagen model, and safeguarding its market presence stays a prime precedence. Following a cautious evaluation of present EV market situations, we have now made the strategic resolution to not transfer ahead with MY26 ID. Buzz manufacturing for the U.S. market,” the memo learn.
Picture by: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs
Gruner defined the choice as a easy matter of provide and demand: “We simply checked out demand, provide, after which mentioned, is it price it to launch mannequin yr ‘26? Additionally when it comes to complexity discount, we simply mentioned, we skip that half and go immediately [to 2027].” VW Group’s American CEO assured us that “there’s all the time going to be a Buzz on the market,” confirming that 2027 manufacturing will begin “in the summertime” with deliveries reaching prospects by early fall.
Whereas it’s probably regarding {that a} lack of demand for Volkswagen’s flagship electrical car might trigger the automaker to skip a mannequin yr, a Volkswagen spokesperson current on the roundtable clarified that the 2025 mannequin yr arrived late, so the 2026 mannequin yr would’ve had a brief run, anyway.
ID. Buzz gross sales boomed globally to 60,700 models offered in 2025—a 102% enhance over the yr prior—solely 7,300 of these gross sales occurred within the U.S. 2025 Buzzes are nonetheless frequent on seller heaps, some marketed with deep five-figure reductions.
Requested whether or not Volkswagen would think about introducing different variants of the Buzz offered internationally to our market, such because the shorter-wheelbase model or utilitarian cargo van physique model offered in Europe, the reply was a flat-out no. “It is simply not the best factor for the US market,” Gruner mentioned of the short-wheelbase Buzz, including that it “does not make sense right here.”
The CEO was open to the thought of an adventure-focused ID. Buzz variant stateside, saying the corporate was having “intro discussions” round a camping-focused variant. I suppose we’ll have to attend till at the least mannequin yr 2027 to learn the way these talks pan out.
