VW’s ID Buzz Electric Microbus Is Dead for 2026—but It’s Not Gone for Good
Written by admin on December 24, 2025
Volkswagen has paused production of the ID Buzz EV minivan for the U.S. market for the entire 2026 model year. The model isn’t canceled, VW says, and the company has told us it’s working on a “transition” to the 2027 model year.
Too Many 2025s, Not Enough Buyers
In a statement to MotorTrend, Volkswagen Group of America president and CEO Kjell Gruner confirmed the ID Buzz van is not canceled for America and will resume production sometime in 2026 for the 2027 model year.
“The ID Buzz remains an important part of the Volkswagen portfolio,” Gruner said, “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.”
Translated to plain English, VW has too many 2025 ID Buzzes sitting on dealer lots unsold that it needs to clear out. Apparently, the situation has gotten so bad the company feels it needs to pause production for roughly six months to get inventory down to a level that matches demand.
“The ID Buzz continues to serve as an important halo product for the Volkswagen brand,” a VW spokesperson told us in a statement, “and safeguarding its market presence remains a top priority. 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.”
As of the end of the third quarter, VW had sold 4,934 vans. According to data from consulting firm Motor Intelligence, there are roughly 2,600 unsold vans on dealer lots which works out to 200 days’ worth of supply at the current rate of sales. That’s more than six months, or about the amount of time VW plans to pause production.
It’s Not Dead Yet, Reddit
The cancellation of the 2026 model year was first reported by Carscoops, citing dealers circulating the information on Reddit and later partially confirmed by the company. While dealers had said the ID Buzz was cancelled outright, VW says that’s not true and that production will resume for the 2027 model year.
In the statement we were sent, the VW spokesperson cited a “transition” to the 2027 model year without elaboration. It’s unclear if the company is simply talking about restarting production or if it’s planning to make any updates to the vehicle for 2027 which would require retooling at the plant and at suppliers. The ID Buzz has only been on sale in the U.S. for a year, so it would be very early for a mid-cycle refresh, but VW would be far from the first automaker to do an emergency refresh to address poor sales.
Big Money, Small Range
While we like the ID Buzz, we’ve criticized its high starting price of $61,545, roughly the same price as a fully loaded Toyota Sienna Platinum hybrid. The early cancellation of the $7,500 EV tax credit at the end of September makes the VW’s price tag even harder for the average buyer to swallow.
We’ve further dinged the VW for its underwhelming 231 to 234 miles of range, which in our Road Trip Range Test translates to more like 205 to 228 miles when driven at a constant 70 mph on the highway until the battery drops from 100 percent to 5 percent. Whether VW is able to address either issue for the 2027 model year remains to be seen.
It’s not just VW, either. Soft sales have led Ford to cancel the Lightning EV pickup and replace it with an upcoming extended range EV with a gas generator onboard. Nissan, meanwhile, has canceled the Ariya EV and Acura has canceled the ZDX EV.
