Volkswagen unveils new ID. Buzz plans

At the Paris 2026 Motor Show, Volkswagen confirmed it is preparing a new generation of ID. Buzz, designed to address the high cost of the iconic electric van. Between the SSP platform and LFP batteries, the future model announces a strategic shift whose details remain unclear.

ID. Buzz faces sales challenges

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz has only a few years of career, but its successor is already underway. Behind the neo-retro face that recalls the Combi, the sales figures do not quite follow the enthusiasm it generates on parking lots and social networks.

Volkswagen confirms future model

At the Paris 2026 Motor Show, the head of the brand, Thomas Schäfer, confirmed that a new generation was already in the works. When asked about the future of the electric van, he simply let slip that "they are working on it," said Thomas Schäfer, cited by Auto Express. And he reminded that "This car is iconic, absolutely," while admitting that even though Americans love the ID. Buzz, it is not really visible in the sales figures... which poses a very concrete question for the future.

High prices hinder sales

A new ID. Buzz to correct a price considered too high. On paper, the concept checks a lot of boxes. An electric MPV, modular, with a cool image inherited from the Combi, it is the kind of product that speaks as well to families as to vanlife enthusiasts. And yet. Between the cost of batteries and a technical base not really designed for volume, the current ID. Buzz arrives at dealerships with high prices: in the United Kingdom, the entry ticket approaches 60,000 pounds, around 70,000 euros, in some Nordic countries it exceeds 350,000 crowns, about 47,000 euros, and in the United States the launch was made above 60,000 dollars, about 55,000 euros. Result, on some markets, dealers have already offered discounts approaching 15,000 dollars, about 14,000 euros, to move the stock.

Volkswagen admits cost issues

Thomas Schäfer does not hide behind the only conjecture. He admits that the current ID. Buzz "rests on a bad cost base. This makes it difficult to really succeed and reach volume on the market, unfortunately. But this shows that if you remain loyal to the brand, you can have an exciting brand." A sentence that summarizes the situation: the image is there, but the economic equation does not follow. The manufacturer therefore plans a few updates for the current model, today four years old, before moving to a second generation completely redesigned, conceived from the start to be produced on a larger scale and, above all, offered at a more accessible price.

New platform aims for lower costs

The future new ID. Buzz will shift from the current MEB electric platform to the new SSP platform, intended as a common base for a large part of the brand's future electric models, from compact models like the Golf to family SUVs. The idea is simple: maximize component, electronics, software, and architecture sharing to reduce the unit cost of each vehicle.

Battery and design changes planned

To achieve this, Volkswagen also plans to play on battery technology. The first indications suggest the use of LFP batteries (lithium-iron-phosphate) on the entry-level versions of the future van, a chemistry less expensive, already used on other compact models in the ID family. The interior should follow the same rationalization logic: the latest models from the brand show a welcome return to physical buttons for key functions, as on the recent ID. Tiguan or small ID. Polo models, which reduces industrial complexity while improving ergonomics. It remains to preserve the visual DNA. Andreas Mindt, head of design, has already warned that customers could get tired of too retro cars, as shown by the New Beetle. Thomas Schäfer, on the other hand, summarizes the course of action: "The iconic elements, you have to use them, because the other new brands don't have them. They don't have a history." A delicate balance to find for this second generation, expected rather towards the end of the decade, around 2030, with a clear promise: remain iconic, but on a cost base finally aligned with market expectations.