If you were eagerly awaiting the return of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz to the U.S., I have some bad news. The electric minivan will now return as a model-year 2028 vehicle in the first half of next year, Automotive News reported Thursday.
A Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed the news to InsideEVs, stating that "the ID. Buzz remains an important part of the Volkswagen of America portfolio, and we are committed to its future in the U.S. market."
Late last year, Volkswagen said it would skip the ID. Buzz's 2026 model year in the U.S. as it dealt with lukewarm demand and a chaotic EV market. The van carried a relatively high starting price of nearly $60,000 and offered only 234 miles of EPA range at launch. Sales, despite years of hype for the return of the vintage VW bus, weren't all that great. Volkswagen sold 6,140 units in the U.S. last year. At the time, the company stressed that the model wasn't being canceled outright.
Gallery: 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz Review
In May, VW touted updates coming to the 2027 version like two new trims, updated software, and revised wheel and color options. The new model was also supposed to get the Tesla-style North American Charging Standard port right from the factory.
Now it looks like customers will have to wait longer. Volkswagen said that those upgrades are still coming, and it will also add bidirectional charging and digital key access in the 2028 vehicle.
"This approach allows us to introduce a broader range of customer-focused enhancements in a single launch," the spokesperson said, adding that VW will share more details in the coming months.
While the van itself is pretty charming with its dual-tone paint and iconic silhouette, it arrived in the U.S. at arguably the worst possible time. It never qualified for the $7,500 federal tax credit. Made in Germany, it was exposed to the Trump administration's tariffs on European cars. A pair of stop sale orders further affected its U.S. rollout.
Beyond the ID. Buzz, the VW brand is rethinking its EV strategy in the U.S. as the end of tax credits dampen demand and as looser fuel economy regulations remove some pressure to sell cleaner cars. In April, Volkswagen stopped making the ID.4 at its plant in Tennessee, opting to shift production capacity toward higher-volume gas SUVs.
If Volkswagen sticks to the new timeline and doesn't keep delaying it further, we'll soon see if all the software updates and the new trims—including the camping focused Tourer—are worth the long wait.
Updated 1:40 pm ET with confirmation and statement from a Volkswagen spokesperson.
