VW ID Buzz Commercial Van Could Be Built and Sold in the US If There’s Strong Demand
People will have to vote with their wallets before VW goes through the trouble of manufacturing it stateside, but there’s hope.
The three-row 2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz electric van debuted Friday morning, showing off its throwback styling and intuitive use of interior space specifically crafted for the North American market. One thing that was missing from the reveal, however, was a commercial model, which is currently only offered in Europe.
Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of VW North America Andrew Savvas told The Drive that a cargo variant could be in the cards down the road, especially if the automaker could circumvent the famous Chicken Tax by building the vehicle in the States rather than importing it from Europe. It would all depend on customer demand, of course.
"[A commercial model] won't be an import from Germany, because the U.S. has the Chicken Tax—the 25% tax which would make a car a lot more expensive," Savvas said during a roundtable discussion. By the way, worldwide production of the passenger-vehicle ID Buzz in both two-row and three-row variations will total 100,000 units.
"But, if we ever do consider building the car in the U.S., that will be definitely a part of the equation," Savvas added. "ID Buzz's unique standout from a commercial perspective, I think that ticks a lot of boxes."
Should this become a reality, the throwback van could mean more than just a cool design; it could mean function, too. VW's various vans of yore have put down countless miles as commercial vehicles all over the globe since the first Type 2 debuted.
When asked about an EV California Camper Van, which would make fine use of all the extra space that its floor-mounted battery chassis allows, Savvas simply said VW is still weighing its options.
"Not officially coming out yet, but it would be fair to say that we are investigating what we can do in the future generation of this car, and obviously that's one of the options we're looking at," Savvas told The Drive. "But in the short term, we are working with some suppliers and longstanding partners to offer options around making the car available with options to go camping.
"Longterm, it would be a nice thing to have and something we'd like to have as part of the product life cycle management of this car," he added.
A camper, family hauler, surf van, and daily commuter—all in one—would be a heck of a van. We're still one year away from the ID Buzz hitting U.S. dealerships, but the options could truly be endless should a commercial variant ever come Stateside.
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