Volkswagen’s retro-styled electric van and the electric ID.7 car have both been slow to come to the United States. V.W. has said that the ID.7’s North American debut has been pushed back, so it looks like the I.D.Buzz will come out before the four-door form—also, no date has yet to be given for when the model will be delivered in its entirety. A press release sent out on Wednesday said that V.W. is committed to monitoring the market and hearing what its customers have to say. Because of market changes, Volkswagen has pushed back the release date of the ID.7 sedan in the U.S. and Canada. After this short sentence, the I.D.Buzz is still set to come out in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2024. Volkswagen also stated that European reviewers had positive things to say about the ID.7 and that Germany had been a very profitable market for the car. Reading between the lines, it’s clear that V.W. is facing a tough choice in an American E.V. market that is already saturated. It’s a valid concern to wonder what chance an electric car has if a compact crossover doesn’t sell well—a niche within a niche if there ever was one. The sales of the ID.4 dropping 37% to 6,167 units in the first quarter of this year was a blow. Automotive News reports that this was the model’s worst showing in the U.S. since the second quarter of 2022. An industrial bottleneck in Germany at the time was to blame. Even though the ID.4 is less exciting than some of its rivals, it has gotten some great lease and loan deals in the past year. The V.W.’s all-touchscreen and the ID.4’s lack of a trunk are small complaints, but when Cars Direct reported last month that you could save $12,000 on a nice electric SUV or $379 a month for 36 months with $4,500 down, it’s easy to forget about them. One could argue that Volkswagen isn’t introducing anything truly innovative with their E.V.s that their competitors aren’t, except for the I.D.Buzz. To be frank, a simple look at them confirms this. The ID is what critics refer to when they mention electric jellybeans. It’s not the Arteon. From a business standpoint, these are the only electric cars that the rental has, but I appreciate simple designs. Let’s remain hopeful that when V.W. brings the ID.7 to the U.S., they do it with a compelling reason or at least improve the case for buying it if it ever does come there. A production ID.X could be a step in the right direction.
