- The Volkswagen ID. Buzz will arrive at dealerships in November and dealers will only have one or two at launch.
- This means the electric minivan could be ripe for markups, much to the chagrin of the automaker.
- With EV sales slower than expected, the company is planning to offer hybrids in the United States.
Volkswagen’s electric vehicle ambitions have run into market realities and this has already caused the North American launch of the ID.7 to be indefinitely delayed. The changes don’t stop there as the company is looking to offer hybrids and plug-in hybrids in the United States.
Speaking at the Automotive News Congress earlier this week, Volkswagen Group of America CEO Pablo Di Si said he’s been “fighting” for hybrids despite apparent reluctance from higher-ups in Germany. Their resistance appears to have waned as he told the publication, “We already approved some of these products” and there’s a timeline for hybrids to be introduced.
More: ID.Buzz Is America’s Most Expensive VW At $60,000
Unfortunately, there’s no word on when they’ll arrive or what models will offer hybrid powertrains. However, Di Si specifically mentioned the Tiguan plug-in hybrid and stated “We have the technology, we know how to do it and we’ll adjust the portfolio in the next couple years.” Of course, it’s important to note the European Tiguan isn’t the same as the North American version which will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
While Volkswagen is now eyeing hybrids in America, the company hasn’t given up on EVs. Quite the opposite as the ID. Buzz is slated to arrive at U.S. dealerships in November.
However, getting one of the vans – which start at $59,995 – will be easier said than done. In a separate report, the publication quoted Volkswagen of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing as saying dealers will only have one or two vans at launch.
That sounds like a disaster in the making as the limited supply could encourage dealers to slap on hefty markups. While that remains to be seen, allocations will eventually factor in ID.4 sales as well as the market a dealership is located in. This means you’ll likely find a lot of ID. Buzz vans headed to EV hot spots such as California.
