Volkswagen temporarily halts US delivery of ID.Buzz models.
Volkswagen has temporarily halted deliveries of its electric minibus, the ID.Buzz, to the United States. The decision comes as a result of a combination of factors, with a recall related to seat width compliance issues and punitive tariffs imposed by the US government playing significant roles.
The recall, issued in May 2025, addressed safety concerns about the seating configuration of the ID.Buzz. Specifically, the third row of seats has space for three passengers but only comes with two seatbelts, which could potentially encourage unsafe use. Volkswagen has since implemented fixes such as installing a hard plastic panel between seats and updating brake light warnings to meet US requirements.
However, the recall was not the sole or primary reason for halting exports. Insiders and reports suggest that the steep tariffs imposed by the US government on European-made vehicles have played a significant role in the decision. In April 2025, the United States increased import tariffs on European vehicles from 2.5% to 27.5%, and in May extended these tariffs to include vehicle components such as motors, batteries, tires, and shock absorbers. These tariffs have made exporting the ID.Buzz from Volkswagen's factory in Hannover economically unviable for the US market.
The ID.Buzz, a key product in the electric transformation of Volkswagen's commercial vehicles division, is currently only being produced for the global market at Volkswagen's plant in Hannover-Stöcken. Volkswagen has not yet announced a plan to produce the ID.Buzz in the US to avoid the increased import duties.
In summary, while Volkswagen cited the recall as the formal reason for pausing US deliveries, the underlying impact of increased US tariffs was the decisive factor leading to the temporary halt in exporting the ID.Buzz to North America. The halt in delivery affects only the US market, and it remains to be seen when deliveries will resume.
[1] Handelsblatt, May 2025 [2] ntv.de, May 2025 [3] Volkswagen press release, May 2025 [4] Reuters, May 2025
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