The three-row 2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz electric van was shown to the public for the first time on Friday morning. It had a retro look and a practical layout for the North American market. But the news didn’t include a commercial model, which is only currently offered in Europe. VW North America’s Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Andrew Savvas, said a cargo model could be considered. This is particularly true if the company can avoid the dreaded “Chicken Tax” by building the vehicle in the United States instead of importing it from Europe. Everything is, of course, based on what people want. During a roundtable talk, Savvas said, “A commercial model will not be imported from Germany because the United States has the Chicken tariff, which is a 25% tariff that would make a car much more expensive.” Also, around the world, 100,000 ID Buzz passenger cars with two or three rows of seats will be made. But if we ever decide to build the car in the United States, it will be a factor, Savvas said. “From a business point of view, I think ID Buzz’s unique standout does many things right.” If this happens, the old van might be more than just a good-looking vehicle; it might also be helpful. Since the first Type 2 van came out, many old VW vans have been used as work vans worldwide for millions of miles. When asked about an electric California Camper Van, Savvas said that VW is still considering its options, even though its floor-mounted batteries give it much more room. In an interview with The Drive, Savvas said, “It’s not coming out yet, but it’s fair to say that we’re looking into what we can do with the next generation of this car, and obviously, that’s one of the options we’re looking at.” “However, shortly, we are working with a few reliable suppliers and partners to offer car options that can be used for camping.” We’d like to include it in managing this car’s product life cycle because it would be helpful in the long run. The ideal would be a car that could be used as a camping, family hauler, surf van, and daily driver. The ID Buzz won’t be sold in the United States for another year, but if a business version is made available, there are almost no limits to its use.
