Volkswagen ID. Buzz Skipping MY2026 in USA and Canada
Goodbye to another EV for 2026—at least, for now.
Well what a chunk of coal. Right after we had a great time spreading cheer in the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, word is the German brand is putting the reborn Bus on ice for 2026. No, not switching to ICE a la the Dodge Charger Sixpack; straight-up cancelling it for a model year.
First posted on Reddit and since confirmed by Carscoops, the ID. Buzz will not see a 2026 model year in America. "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," said a VW spokesperson. AutoGuide reached out and received a similar response. The VW spokesperson went on to say the move is "ensuring a strong foundation as we prepare for the MY27 transition next year," suggesting that this will be a short-term situation. There was no timeline provided for when this might happen in America.
As the Canadian and American markets continue to diverge in today's volatile trade landscape, we also reached out to Volkswagen Canada. The response was slightly different. "Yes, we are skipping the 2026 model year, but only in light of the fact we plan on bringing the 2027 to market a bit sooner," explained the VW Canada spokesperson, adding "we’ll have full details in the new year."
A planned 2027 update makes sense; remember that the Buzz debuted in Europe a few years ahead of arriving in North America, so a substantial update could be on the cards. We'd bet on a larger-capacity battery pack to get the range closer to the 300-mile mark. Currently, the ID. Buzz is rated at 234 miles (377 kilometers), a significant gap from other EV three-rows like the Hyundai Ioniq 9.
If you've been on the fence about the Buzz, now may be the time to act.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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The western auto industry has a problem, not so much with EV's per se, but with their math skills and inability to calculate the costs of housing, food, insurance and medical care, then assuming the average citizen can still afford a $50k+ vehicle. The Chinese understand this , which gives them the advantage to build an entire range of cost-effective vehicles up to and including luxury products. The ID. Buzz is a market-value $40k vehicle at best, and will only sell in significant quantity at some price below that.
Canada has an empty GM EV factory just sitting there wasting space and a town of workers who lost their jobs. I think Canada should do a deal with China and build the BYD EV's there. For you people who say that's not fair to GM, remember it was GM who took billions from the Canadian Government to build the plant and then took off without a word.