The Volkswagen ID.Buzz has been a breath of fresh air in what has long seemed to be a stale VW lineup. The ID.Buzz is colorful, practical, and is a glorious nod to the past, even if its range or pricing could be much better. A recent report suggests that Volkswagen’s coolest electric car is now the latest victim of tariffs imposed by the United States — that Volkswagen may have stopped importing the vans. But then Volkswagen of America told us that hundreds of them are on a boat right now. What in the world is going on with the Volkswagen ID.Buzz?
America’s complex and often sweeping tariffs this year have been causing havoc in global trade. I’ve written about how the reciprocal tariffs launched earlier this year have made imports of over 25-year-old cars 10 percent more expensive and how imports of these classic cars from Japan may become 25 percent more expensive on August 1. These tariffs are separate from Trump’s tariffs targeted at the auto industry, and as you’re about to read, continue to be a source of confusion.
President Trump’s list of tariffs includes a 25 percent duty on vehicles and auto parts assembled outside of the United States. These tariffs have hammered South Korea, Europe, and Japan; regions with car manufacturers that export some of their most popular models to the United States. Yesterday, Bloomberg published a report detailing the hit Volkswagen Group has taken thus far, from Bloomberg:
Sales of Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley vehicles declined 7.7% to 480,200 units in the three months through June, highlighting the strain President Donald Trump’s duties are putting on VW’s high-margin marques.
The tariff pain is being felt beyond the premium brands. VW’s group sales dropped 16% in the US during the second quarter, a sharp reversal from the 4.4% growth in the first three months of the year, before the new levies came into effect.
The good news is that despite the trouble in America, VW Group has reportedly managed to increase global shipments 1.2 percent year-on-year to 2.27 million vehicles, with European deliveries delivering a stronger performance. Bloomberg notes that VW has even made 2.8 percent gains in China. VW also performed relatively well in the global EV space in the second quarter, showing a 73 percent jump in EV sales in Europe. However, VW EV sales fell 33 percent in China and 5.2 percent in America. This equates to VW EV sales being up 38 percent overall for the second quarter.
Schrödinger’s ID.Buzz
Now this news is going to get a whole lot weirder. If you believe one new report, America’s tariffs keep biting back. On July 10, German business journal Handelsblatt published a piece titled (roughly translated into English):
E-Bulli stopped – VW no longer delivers ID.Buzz to the USA
The subheadline then says:
The ID.Buzz was supposed to conquer America’s streets. Now VW is halting exports – likely primarily due to US President Donald Trump’s rigid tariff policy. The company is now hoping for that.
Handelsblatt then continues, with what sounds like a pretty definitive report, emphasis mine:
Düsseldorf, Vienna, New York. The car manufacturer Volkswagen has temporarily halted deliveries of its ID.Buzz electric minibus to the United States. Handelsblatt learned this from company sources. The reason for this is, in addition to a technical recall, primarily the punitive tariffs imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
[…]
A spokesperson for the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand confirmed that the ID.Buzz is not currently being exported to the US and explained that deliveries of the model in the rest of the world increased by almost 70 percent. However, “challenging conditions in some markets – including North America” ​​had a negative impact on this development.
He cited a recall as the reason for the current delivery stop to North America because the authorities considered the rear seat of the US model to be too wide. “It’s not the recalls, it’s the tariff issue,” countered an insider. Another person familiar with the matter also pointed to the recent significant increase in US tariffs.
According to Volkswagen of America, it sold 564 ID.Buzz vans in the second quarter of 2025. This is down from the 1,901 vans it sold in the first quarter.
Tariffs and a recalls haven’t been Volkswagen’s only struggles in moving ID.Buzz units. Back in April, Automotive News reported that Volkswagen figured out that ID.Buzz buyers don’t really care about the vans that have been shipped to America in single-color paint schemes, and would rather buy two-tone vans. Reportedly, Volkswagen has offered dealers an incentive to wrap single-color ID.Buzz vans to make two-tone color schemes.
It would be easy to just conclude that recalls and tariffs are stopping the ID.Buzz, but here comes a curveball.
There is a competing July 10 report out there that doesn’t even mention tariffs. Agence France-Presse has reported that ID.Buzz exports have been halted due to the recent recall involving the van’s third-row seats being a bit too large for just two occupants. From AFP:
“No electric ID. Buzz models made in Hanover are currently being delivered to North America due to a technical recall mandated by US authorities,” Tobias Riepe, a spokesman for Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles division, told AFP.
I reached out to Volkswagen of America for clarification on what is exactly happening here and, if imports have stopped, and when America will begin seeing the vans again. The answer I got was:
Not true –Â Volkswagen of America temporarily held ID. Buzz vehicles at the port of Emden while resolving the issues related to the stop sale. These vehicles are moving again, with several hundred on a boat currently.Â
To clarify, the pause at Emden was only for East Coast-bound vehicles – we continuously shipped ID. Buzzes to the West Coast.
So, Volkswagen’s response is that importation was previously only delayed while the automaker handled the recall issues. The response, as you read with your own eyes, denies that shipments are currently stopped and doesn’t mention tariffs at all.
This means we have two different answers as to what’s going on with the ID.Buzz right now. Handelsblatt claims to have gotten its information from Volkswagen. But we have a statement from Volkswagen, too.
All of this is to say that the great automotive industry whirlwind continues. It’s sad, too, because even with its imperfections, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz isn’t just the coolest Volkswagen EV on the market, but one of its most awesome products on sale in America, period. So, we’re sort of left scratching our heads here. Either the ID.Buzz is stopped, or it isn’t. We’re hoping for the latter so more people can enjoy this colorful people hauler.
In Canada at least the Buzz is positioned as a halo car. Get people into the showroom. Then they discover that a Buzz is $89K—which is nuts—and are disappointed. But look! There’s an Atlas Execline for only $65K! What luck!
Or they go down the street and see that a *decked out* Toyota Sienna hybrid is $74K.
For context, the median *household* after-tax income in Canada is $74,200 CAD. I just don’t know who VW is trying to sell the Buzz to. Even a lease is $1,080/month.
Oh and all those prices are before 13% VAT and whatever BS the dealer tacks on.
The ID Buzz would be “one of its most awesome products on sale in America, period” if it cost $29,000 and had a range of 400 miles. It has no sales because it is overpriced with not enough range.
VW really needs to rinse out it’s mug of tea leaves. They are reading them all wrong. Sometimes I feel like I should start a car company that makes sensible vehicles. How these huge corporations flub it so badly is beyond me.
They need a $45K gas version.
Was recently in Denmark visiting some friends. Was surprised at how many ID.Buzzes that we saw during our trip. A vast majority were the shorter wheelbase versions in work van guise. I don’t think I have seen any ID.Buzzes out in the wild here at home.
I do prefer the looks of the shorter wheelbase version, but honestly wouldn’t be considering a purchase regardless of wheelbase or if they were single color or two-tone. However, I did quite enjoy riding around in our friend’s ID.7.
I’ve seen a couple driving around – I think they look great, and all the video I’ve seen of the interior makes it look perfect for a family hauler. It just sucks that their battery tech is so far behind – if I could get the powertrain from, like, an EV6 and put it in this thing I’d buy one right away, even with it being kinda overpriced.
It’s a pancake flop of a vehicle that just keeps flopping.
2 late to the party
2 expensive
2 few miles of range
2 wide of a rear seat
2 frustrating to interface with
2 difficult to get here in colors and without tarrifs
2 few cupholders
2 few window switches
I knew I was forgetting something! Yup, those are dumb too.
How long did it take VW to get a BUS here to America?
The bus has already passed them by.
Donald Trump ruins everything….
…except this.
These are terrible and the only compelling thing about them is the two-tone paint. The single-colored versions look like toasters, and I can’t fathom why VW would even offer that.
With what VW is asking for these, and the fact that they struggle to get barely 200 miles of range, VW was never going to sell more than a few of these.
Pretty poor execution of what could have been a great road trip vehicle.
Lots at the dealer, but I haven’t seen many driving around. About 20 years too late for this boomer bait and generations not so hung up on (this particular) nostalgia want better value if they can afford it at all.
I saw one on the road recently and was struck by how large a vehicle it was, both in height and width.
And even though I’m in Silicon Valley with tons of early adopters, I’ve only seen that one ID.Buzz.
It’s crazy that a vehicle that big only has a 200-mile range.
Maybe someone at Wolfsburg HQ screwed up in the conversion of metric to standard. Y’know, the Royale with Cheese conundrum.
Oh I would have guessed the reason is that dealer lots are overflowing with them so more aren’t needed. The Autopian should interview all 5 people that bought one of these for their reasoning
I would love to have an ID Buzz but the price you pay for the capabilities it has, I cannot justify it, its basically a toy, I would still need the regular Pacifica to do long road trips (5 humans with 2 dogs).
GM with an Ultium battery could build something to compete but the electric minivan market or convertible segment are not ready for electrification.
I saw one in Milwaukee two weeks ago near Miller Park. We were going for a Brewer’s game and I needed to pay attention to the traffic, but it was a block or two ahead of us and turned off somewhere. I think it was lime-green like the one in the picture here. Wish I could have gotten a better look at it.
Well, I fit the demographic and have the money… to bad my idolatry of the VW kombi went out the window after owning a Corvair Greenbrier. Still love the other air cooled VW products, but the new stuff and the Buzz represent the same kind of disappointment found with past product.
Meh. This thing was DOA anyways. Overpriced, shit range and horrible interface. I rarely see them here is rich, ev loving, Silicon Valley.
I still hope in 7-8 years when I plan on relacing my Odyssey there is a good ev van. I love my Ioniq 5 as my around town vehicle, but my van is my distance work horse.
Very hard to beat an Odyssey. Ours is a 2018, but there still isn’t anything on the market appealing enough to replace it. Packing up 6 people and luggage for a road trip soon.
Model 3 and NB Miata do the DD stuff.
I am shocked at how few of these I see in the Valley. Now, if you want to see one, go to the local VW dealership as they will have plenty.
You are correct on the DOA aspect. Too much money, too little range, and the retro factor is not strong enough to overcome this. My brother and I have a bet on which will sell less for the year, ID.Buzz or the Cybertruck.
Recalls and tariffs certainly don’t help. But I’m going to bet that the real issue is nobody wants one, because they’re an absolutely awful value even before you get to the piss poor range. Who wants a van that struggles to go on road trips? Who is this for?
I laughed pretty hard at launch when VW was shipping some of these as all-black or all-white vans. They charge more for the two-tone. And again, who the fuck is buying this quirk-mobile, then opting for it to be black? Again VW, who on earth are you building these for? The two tone paint does a ton of heavy lifting in making this design feel special. And for the 65-75k they want to sell these for, Christ guys, didn’t you maybe thing people wanted them in a color?
I’m so, so mad at VW, mostly because I care (despite wishing I didn’t). This van as a form factor and design is basically everything I want in a vehicle. I was even willing to look past the fact that it was a VW and that it would likely result in me drinking full pots of dealer coffee through the ownership experience. And VW had to go and give it a borderline useless EV powertrain that’s both expensive and simultaneously ruins the entire fun of owning a killer road trip vehicle. I’m an engineer with two kids who can theoretically afford a new car that’s obsessed with minivans. And I CAN’T BUY THIS.
I have all these sentiments, 100%.
It was the dream electric minivan until it just flat sucked on so many levels!
I really think it’s one of the most disappointing product launches ever. I’m currently struggling to think of an example of something worse, especially in the automotive space where investing in a new model like this is massively expensive.
Holy crap, is this somehow, a worse launch than the Cybertruck?
Didn’t Musk throw a large steel ball at the drivers side window during his big launch and break said window?
They are both grossly over priced vanity projects so eff ’em both equally?
This is probably the right analysis.
But I guess I always knew I was going to hate the Cybertruck. This hurts more because for a little bit I was fooled into thinking it might be good.
Yes and yes
My 67-year-old mom was so excited about this, she talked about it for years. It was going to be her retirement gift to herself.
Once it was released and she saw the price and stats, she bought an Acura MDX.
And I don’t blame her.
I haven’t seen a single family driving these, it’s always boomers wishing VW had brought the 2 row shorter wheelbase version over.
Well said dude, I completely agree.
I so wanted one of these. But the delays and ultimately the eyewatering price eliminated this from consideration.
At first it reignited my youth. Then sitting in it was a dream at the auto show a couple of years ago. So i3 danish modern cool. Then I focused on the price. And the range and the VW engineering and interface issues. Shook my head and remembered that memories are just that. Joyous or horrid things from the past. People’s car my ass. Posers car for sure. F you VW for ruining your reputation. It is the BMW giant kidneys out front vs the look of a 2002. Maybe they should dhitcan VW and rename themselves Skoda
See my other comment. I had the same frustration that the range wasn’t better since it was otherwise exactly what I wanted. Then bought one for low 50k’s out the door (you have to lease then buyout for that kinda deal). And then road tripped it 650 miles on July 3rd. It went great! I get the concern everyone has about range but if your kids are young, the van charging won’t be the limiting factor, and epa rated range on the highway is easy to exceed in warm/hot weather, especially if you don’t drive crazy fast. Different thought process for planning stops but your engineer brain would probably have no problem adjusting. Passenger space is miles ahead of our old Pacifica though at the expense of some cargo volume. Ours is all black, which looks pretty sick but we might do a bottom xpel stealth wrap for a half satin half gloss look.
Since this has more twists and turns than a pretzel, I’m calling it SNAFUS of Hanover.
If VW had actually released this within the first 10-15 years of teasing it, ideally with the VR6, I would have bought one. If they can drop the price $20k and make it a PHEV or EREV, I might be back in the game. It could have been the coolest minivan ever, but it missed the mark in so many ways.
And I’m not just saying that like “Whargh! Brown diesel manual wagon!” I actually mean it, and I think tons of other SUV-driving, minivan-needing people could be brought into the fray. This should not be a halo car, which is where they have it right now.
“If VW had actually released this within the first 10-15 years of teasing it, ideally with the
VR6PORSCHE H-6 MOUNTED IN THE REAR, I would have bought one”There… fixed it for you.
ID.GT3.
I saw one in the wild the other day. It was single color “Dingy Grey”. Not very eye catching.
I read that as Dinghy Grey and it made sense.
I’ve only see a few and they’ve all been yellow and orange. The flatbed wrecker probably didn’t even have to use the flashing lights, it was so highly visible!
(not kidding, I’ve seen two being towed so far)
I’m seeing these on the roads an tonier areas. Every single one so far being driven by what appears to be an upwardly mobile thirty-something white woman smiling like she just won the ‘I’m Coolest’ contest at the local cafe. I swear, the look of self-satisfaction rivals early Prius Smug. It’s really something.
Or, it truly is one of the very few times where money can buy happiness. If i had one, i would find it hard not to drive around with a stupid smile on my face.
I did it with a Miata, but you make an excellent point. 🙂
Miata definitely has that superpower as well
The price wasn’t helping the sales, either.
For $30K, I’d get one, replace my 23-year-old car (die a little), as it has the space for the infrequent hauling of long or large items (8ft long fluorescents lights). Lose some fun, gain some money on gas, and I like the non-ubiquitousness of it. And I’ll keep our hybrid for longer trips.
If the third row can be removed (and it should be), I’d take it out for most trips.
$30K? No van is that cheap. It’s not 2005 anymore.
Low-to-mid $40s should have been the starting point for the Buzz. I know it’s an EV, but the Sienna, Odyssey, Carnival and Pacifica all start in the mid $30s to the low $40s.
And that low-to-mid $40k starting point should be what the current starting model is; no smaller battery, no lower trim, no changes at all other than lower price.
And I’m OK with not buying it.
Might actually be hard to find a used one (which might hit that price), since so few were sold.
A quick look in AutoTrader and there are some used ones. However, the owners selling them are just as delusional as VW and want $60k plus for them. Shame as I like these and would consider one but not at 200 miles of range.
Stylistically, it is a breath of fresh air, but functionally, it is utterly pointless at its price point.
Also, tariffs are going to destroy affordable cars first. Luxury brands like Porsche are far less susceptible to the orange idiot tax, as their clients are already spending huge sums on a luxury item. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of the tariffs is to exempt the oligarch class from taxes while making everyone else significantly poorer. It is a lot easier for the CEOs to reduce pay when the labor pool is desperate to afford basic necessities.
I will also admit to enjoying the failure of nostalgia-based products.
I, for one, crave more nostalgia-based products. EREV Plymouth Prowler, please and thanks!
As a long-time designer, I just can’t abide the cheap shallowness of nostalgia-focused designs. They are the equivalent of the guy who peaked in high school and still talks about those “good ol’ days” when they are in their fifties.
This is one of those cars where I am like … if I had 80k lying around.
Even if I had $80k laying around, it’s hard to justify the Buzz. You basically really have to want a van than is an EV. If you just want a van, you’d be way better off with any of the other vans. If you just want an EV, I’d rather have almost any other EV offered at this price point.
I really like the Buzz, but it’s just way too expensive for what it is. Even if it were 20% cheaper, I’m not sure that’s a big enough discount to make it a reasonable deal.
I want an electric.. and would love a van.. and most of all i love the look of it. Sure i know there are better options… but this one looks cool
Wasn’t the original VW Bus a victim of the Chicken Tax? Is time a flat circle?
What is even time at this point?
I just know it ain’t on my side, ticks away the moments that make up a dull day, and walks away like a friend with somewhere to go.
These are definitely odd times.
Business schools will be teaching the ID Buzz U.S. strategy/story as a case study in a decade. It will be a cautionary tale.
Was just about to type the same thing.
Teased for way too long, too many redesigns, finally released after people are sick of waiting and with a price too high and specs too low for the current climate. And no freaking hybrid!
They even managed to waste the nostalgia factor. A lot of folks nostalgic for their old Bus are getting up there in years, and aren’t likely considering an expensive EV van at this point. Twenty five years ago I suspect the story would have been very different. I was born in 1993, my folks were the tail end of the Boomer generation but lots of people had parents older than mine growing up. If they had released this around 2000 during the minivan’s reign as the default family car, they would have had a bigger customer base (boomers with kids to haul around and fond memories of their old Bus) in a segment that was very popular.
What nostalgia factor? In monotone paint the design is about as nostalgic as a Ford Transit.
I grew up with VW buses. The memories were not so fond.
They were noisy, hot (no AC), cold (weak heater), slow, basic…
Now if I were a young adult at the time and had a group of crazy friends, the experience would have been much, much better, and the many weak points of the Volkswagen would not have mattered all that much.
The bottom line is that they were not that great, but were cheap and easy to fix. The ID.Buzz has two-toned paint and a range of under 200 miles, but really nothing else in common with the original.
Yep, I think they were counting on rose colored glasses for sure. Except unlike their retro throwback Beetles, they’re way more expensive and not suited to their intended purpose as a road trip vehicle. Their new Beetles were always a bit of a fashion accessory, but they weren’t too expensive. And they have nothing in common with my ’72 Super Beetle, which of course has no AC, a weak(ish) heater, and no luxuries whatsoever. I can see why VW thought nostalgia would be a selling point though. Nearly every time I take the Beetle somewhere, I get compliments and people telling me about how much they loved their old Beetle.
We had a Super Beetle as well (my parents bought their VWs new, but did not spend much on them). I learned how to drive in it, and my first car was a Karmann Ghia.
Rose colored glasses, definitely. Great memories, for sure.
The new Bus has less in common with the old Bus than the New Beetle does with the original Beetle.
The people who this might appeal to, Boomers, are now empty nesters that have no need for a 3-row van. It’s too expensive for young families. I’m not sure who it’s even for.
Well-off folks who go antiquing on the weekends.
The range isn’t good enough.
Boston to Manchester and back on one charge, that’s all you need.
White Plains to Poughkeepsie?
Brooklyn to Greenwich.
More like White Plains to Hudson, but even that nearly exceeds the range of this thing.
I grew up in Poughkeepsie. These are too fancy for Po-town. White Plains to Rhinebeck is more appropriate. Or a Catskills cruiser for Woodstock and New Paltz.
I lived in P as a very young kid for a while, I just remember my parents explaining later that “it was the kind of place people from the city came up on weekends for a vacation” and it stuck with me 🙂
More than enough range to get from Santa Monica to Ojai and back.
This thing is peak boomer nostalgia mobile. Only they have the funds to afford something like this, that is basically just luxury/vanity, not utility. This is VW’s version of the Chevrolet SSR.
But the SSR was always designed to be a low volume thing. It seems like VW meant for the Buzz to be sold it a lot higher volumes than GM ever intended with the SSR.
And that boomer nostalgia would have payed off handsomely if they hadn’t waited TWENTY FOUR YEARS to produce the thing.
https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/press-releases/concept-car-microbus-805
Had Volkswagen actually followed through, I guarantee there would have been a hundred of these vans all over my hometown in the 2000s. You know, back when boomers had children in elementary school…. My uncle is on the eldest end of the boomer cohort, and actually took European delivery of a VW Microbus in the 60s. He drove a Passat wagon through the 2000s. He would have been the perfect customer, but he’s long past the age where buying a massive van makes any sense.
Ridiculous own-goal on VW’s part.
At the current rate, if VW had started selling these 24 years ago, there would be about 48,000 of them sold by now.