The Volkswagen ID.Buzz leans into nostalgia so much that the EV minivan was introduced without cupholders. You know, just like the OG Type 2 Microbus! I kid. The U.S.-market ID.Buzz actually came with three built-in drink cubbies… for eight people. But the fight for frappés ended this month when VW quietly added a cupholder accessory for the second row — for 100 bucks.
This is ridiculous.
In other parts of the world, the ID.Buzz is outfitted with fold-down trays integrated into the front seatbacks. They’re similar to what you’d find in an airplane cabin, except the VW ones have a convenient drink slot and don’t come with weeks-old crumbs.
In North America, however, not only was the EV van launched two years after the Europeans got it, but Wolfsburg’s superiors also decided to delete the tray from the U.S. build. Not even available as an accessory across the Atlantic, ID.Buzz 2nd-row passengers were shafted on the tray tables and, subsequently, the cupholders. This meant (EV) vanlife would include fewer PSLs (the van went on sale here last fall).
But VW apparently had a change of heart (or was deafened by the complaints), as part number 1T3061129 is now in the ID.Buzz catalog. The “Cup Holders for Second Row (Set of 2)” are exactly as described and more! (H/T to reader Richard Chen for the tip.)
Available in black to match the seat base, the cupholder pair appears to simply slide into a gap between the plastic seat base and the seat bottom cushion. And the VW cupholder accessory works with both the 2nd-row bench and the Captain’s chairs. There also looks to be a secondary pocket to use as a phone holder. Wow, such flexibility.
Downsides are that the part is $98 (plus shipping), and you can only fit two on the bench seat. But, if you’re thirsty or just want more storage options, the accessory fits on either side of the Captain’s chairs for a potential of four cupholders for the second row. But then it’s $196 plus shipping for something that should have been built into the car.
This is ridiculous.
Not because I like PSLs (I don’t; I’m a boba kind of girl), but because the base ID.Buzz Pro S starts at $61,545. Sixty grand for an EV that has about 230 miles of range (be gentle). Yes, its design is a headturner, and the vehicle is an overall conversation magnet, here and abroad. But it’s a van, so it’s supposed to be practical and utilitarian, not some elitist coffee table book on wheels. And if you opt for the premium ID.Buzz 1st Edition AWD, you pay another $10,000 for the same risk of spilling a hot drink on your lap.
Oh, wait, per the parts description: “Do not place hot beverages in the cup holders.” Not for your precious Stanley support tumbler either, because it’s not “suitable for large, insulated containers, glass or ceramic cups.” But you know what might fit that? The $440 removable ID.Buzz Box that fits between the Captain’s chairs, plus a $68 ID.Buzz Box Organizer, which sits on top of the Box and offers another possible drink spot.
Is this the price of convenience? Shouldn’t be. This is a lot of trouble and money for, again, an accessory that shouldn’t be an accessory in the first place. Volkswagen was contacted for comment, but was unavailable at the time. This story will be updated should they send a response.
Top graphic images: Volkswagen
Yeah, manufacturers are going to nickel and dime their way into irrelevance sooner or later.
If it weren’t for the fact VW keeps Americans employed, I’d say fuck VW! On the other hand, do you like your job and know it may perish over a gosh damm cupholder thanks to clueless marketing people? Let that fact sink in coming from a spoiled citizen. Cupholders that are built in weren’t a thing in the good old days. You held the cup between your legs. If you hit a bump, it splashed, and yes you went to work looking like you just peed your pants. Or you sued for having your nuts fried from too hot of coffee from Micky D’s when you hit a bump and cooked the jewels. Either way, mankind is screwed over these new fangled fricken cupholders.
Meanwhile, my Ford Fiesta cannot even fit 5 adults, but comes standard with 5 cup holders.
What are you even doing, VW?
I wonder how long it will take for a file to 3D print a cupholder to come out? Ford had the right idea with the Maverick, supplying specs to print accessories
I don’t doubt that the seat tray delete was a safety issue. But they had two whole years to engineer an alternative. A lower cost alternative.
VW Engineers: “Don’t threaten us with a good time.”
this is helarious because i remember when the VW atlas launched it got TONS of press for how many cup holders it had 14 or 18 cup holders something like that! VW should have let the USA team design the interior VW europe just can’t get the job done!
Good.
While we’re at it, VW ought to charge $2,000 for the privilige of ordering the vehicles in black, grey, silver, and funereal colours…
This just adds to the things that baffle me about the whole ID Buzz project.
You have a product that people all over North America (US and Canada, at least.. not sure on Mexico) hold as a cult icon, and will pay $20k for one built in the 60s or 70s. Not even a restored one, but one that’s been modified and brought up to date with Subaru engines and all that…. and you have an opportunity with a new version of that product that has a huge following and that people are willing to spend any amount of money to get…. and when you FINALLY bring it to NA, you neuter it and only release a version that won’t really work in that market. WHY??? I just feel like someone in the marketing department at VW is purposely trying to tank the company. They could print money with this thing if it was a hybrid (and the longer wheelbase version) and they won’t do it. It just makes my brain implode. (I got better.)
VWoA has been maing baffling decisions for 30 years now. They steadfastly refused to look at hybrid tech because they were so high on the TDI supply, DESPITE KNOWING IT COULDN’T MEET EMISSIONS. Getting caught or not, you know you’re cheating. Why wouldn’t you start to diversify and ween yourself off diesel to minimize risk? And even if you DIDN’T get caught, a TDI hybrid could have been KILLER, even if it was just a 1.0L TDI range extender kind of thing that you could set to idle and charge the batteries.
The killing of the Golf. The killing of 2 door GTIs. The killing of most manuals. The lack of Scirocco in the US and instead an insistance on the Golf R instead of the Scirocco. VW bolstered itself in the 90’s and 00’s by being a halfway point between quirky Swedish cars and higher end Audi/BMW/Mercs while still only being slightly more expensive than an equivelant Honda or Toyota. It sucks that every car company now decided it wanted to be everything to everyone and had to fill every mainstream segment possible and kill off things that weren’t profitable enough.
VW also used to really embrace the enthusiast market and the enthusiast scene, but sometime around the mk5 or mk6 deided they didn’t care about that anymore. It’s really a shame. Gotta get those CUV bucks, I guess. And every cool vehicle they make in Europe they end up half assing and half hearting in the US if it ever even gets here.
Yeah, it’s very much like looking back at US automakers back when they had a chance of competing with the imports, and chose not to. Is it just hubris? What is the end goal? I’d like to say, “it’s not possible that everyone on the board is a complete moron.” but…. I’ve met people on boards of things, and I can absolutely tell you that the majority of them are complete morons. There are definitely some people at the C level who are very smart, and got there because of that, but there are more that got there by ….. some combination of politics and other ass-kissing…. and those are the people who you print out the powerpoint, hand them a copy when they enter the meeting…. have someone read through the powerpoint…. and then afterwards, they ask something that was already covered ad nauseam in both the handout and the presentation.
COTD
> I’ve met people on boards of things, and I can absolutely tell you that the majority of them are complete morons.
VW offered both a Jetta Hybrid and a Touareg Hybrid around 2012, the same time they were offering the TDI in everything. I don’t understand why they did away with the hybrids but they did have some.
They did but they didn’t really TRY with them. It, again, was a half-assed attempt at it because electric wasn’t ready, and people still ‘remembered’ the GM diesels of the early 80’s that were god awful. They seemingly did it for the same reason that Fiat made the original 500e back in the day. They flat out told you not to buy it and it was only there for fleet emissions/mileage numbers and priced it out of reach.
VW didn’t do THAT exactly, but they didn’t really push them, advertise them or do much with them other than say ‘Yeah, these exist I guess. If you want one you can have it but we don’t care.’
i said this in a previous article. the ID buzz is a minivan for people who don’t NEED a minivan. the cargo capacity and seating arrangements are trash compared to the competition. it’s just a “big ass EV’ but your much better off with the ford lightning unless you seriously are going to use the tiny 3rd row!