The electric minibus is getting an overhaul. Volkswagen said a new ID. Buzz is in the works, bringing much more than just a lower price tag.
When is VW launching the new ID. Buzz?
When Volkswagen first brought the ID. Buzz to the US in 2024, its electric spin on the iconic hippie van had plenty of people talking.
While many were thrilled to see VW finally bring the electric minibus to the US, much of that excitement turned out to be nostalgia.
Starting at around $60,000, the ID. Buzz wasn’t exactly cheap. Plus, it only offered a range of up to 234 miles.
Volkswagen looks to change that with the next-generation ID. Buzz. During an interview with Auto Express at the 2026 Paris Auto Show this week, VW brand CEO Thomas Schäfer confirmed “they’re working on it,” when asked about the future of the electric minibus.
Schäfer admitted that the ID. Buzz “is in the wrong cost base,” confirming the new model will be more affordable.
It will also be based on the Group’s new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which VW promises will reduce costs and pave the way for software-defined vehicles.
While Volkswagen is revamping its lineup, using some of its most popular nameplates like the Polo and Tiguan, Schäfer said that the company will not reuse all of its iconic names. However, “the iconic stuff, you need to use, because the other new brands don’t have that. They have no history,” he added.
What will the new ID. Buzz look like? According to Volkswagen’s design boss, Andreas Mindt, it will require “lots of secret sauce,” a cornerstone of its new design language.
Although Mindt admitted that “people get tired” of retro-looking vehicles, as was the case with the new Beetle, the next-gen ID. Buzz will likely stay true to its timeless design with a modern twist.
“When you have a van, it doesn’t have too much character; one white van looks like the other white van. So what do you do to make it interesting?” Mindt asked.
The ID. Buzz is “one of the interesting ones,” he said, adding, “This I can promise you in the future: it will be interesting.”
Like the new ID. Polo and ID. Tiguan, the new electric minibus will feature Volkswagen’s updated interior design and infotainment system, including the return of physical buttons.
Based on VW’s new SSP platform, the next-generation ID. Buzz will offer improved driving range, faster charging, and more advanced software. The platform is designed to reduce costs, while Schäfer hinted it could also use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to enable lower prices.
Schäfer didn’t reveal any other details, including when the next-gen ID. Buzz will launch. The first SSP-based EV was initially set to arrive in 2026, but VW is now saying it will arrive “by the end of the decade.” The new ID. Buzz will likely launch shortly after.
In the meantime, Volkswagen recently delayed the return of the ID. Buzz in the US until the 2028 model year.
Volkswagen Group of America VP and chief communications officer, Jeannine Ginivan, told Electrek in December that the ID. Buzz would not receive a 2026 model year for the US. The company planned to move straight to the 2027 model.
Ginivan also confirmed with Electrek that “Volkswagen is not canceling the ID. Buzz for the US market.”
In the third quarter, Volkswagen sold just 432 ID. Buzz models in the US, down 82.5% from nearly 2,500 in Q3 2025.
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