VW has announced pricing, lineup and color options for the upcoming ID.Buzz. When the car hits the road later this year, it will be available in three interior and 11 exterior colors.
The ID.Buzz has been a long time coming; a concept was first presented in 2017. It is already on the road in Europe, but in North America people have been waiting for its own three-row seat since its presentation last June.
But we never knew exactly how much it would cost. The European version starts in the $65,000-$75,000 range (depending on the country, and EU prices usually include taxes) and the US version is even bigger, so we feared the price might be even higher.
Today we learn that the ID.Buzz will launch at $59,995 Basis for the “Pro S” level, a slight relief compared to what we would have expected. The Pro S is only available with rear-wheel drive and has a bench seat in the second row with space for seven passengers.
The Pro S Plus level starts at $63,495 (or $67,995 for AWD), and the launch-only “1st Edition” starts at $65,495 for RWD or $69,995 for AWD.
Rear-wheel-drive models have an EPA range of 234 miles, and all-wheel-drive models are slightly less efficient at 231 EPA miles. AWD models are available in six-seat configurations, with the second-row bench seat replaced by two captain’s chairs. Captain’s chairs are available on the Pro S Plus RWD for an additional $695.
The ID.Buzz will be available in three interior trims: Dune, Copper and Moonlight. Dune will not be available for the base Pro S model, but only for the higher-end trims.
The 11 exterior colors are divided into 3 monochrome single-tone colors and 8 two-tone colors. The two-tone colors are only available on the upgrade trims, while the base Pro S trim only offers the three single-tone exterior colors.
Two-tone paint jobs cost an additional $995 on the Pro S Plus model or are included on 1st Edition models, but this model is limited to blue, orange, green, silver and yellow exterior colors.
The Pro S Plus also offers a $1,495 panoramic roof made of “smart glass,” which is electrochromic and can turn opaque to protect you from the sun. This glass roof is standard on the 1st Edition.
Below you can see a list of other options included in the different trim levels, as well as examples of exterior colors:
One final point on price: none of the ID.Buzz trims will qualify for the $7,500 U.S. electric vehicle tax credit because they’re assembled outside the U.S. However, VW will likely offer leasing incentives, as other companies have done, since they can get around many of the credit’s limitations. We don’t have any details on that yet, but stay tuned for when the Buzz finally hits the road, which should happen in October/November.
Electrek’s opinion
When I was young, my family had a VW Vanagon Westfalia camper, so the VW bus has a special meaning to me. My family went on many adventures in that bus, and despite all its quirks, it was a fantastic vehicle.
So I’m pretty excited about the ID.Buzz and have long believed that it would be the perfect platform for electrification.
When I saw the original concept, I liked the cool retro style that reminded me of the funny old bus I grew up with.
However, I am a little disappointed with the original. It is a little less quirky, a little more like a van than the original concept – which was already a little less quirky than the old VW minibuses. There are many reasons for this, including new safety standards for pedestrians and passengers that make the tiny overhangs of the old VW bus untenable these days, but I still miss it.
The final version of the ID.Buzz is much more like a van and much less quirky (although the option of two-tone paintwork is a large visual improvement, in my opinion). But “normal” might not be so bad.
There aren’t many electric vans on the market. The $52,000 Pacifica Hybrid is currently the only other one with a plug-in. However, it’s only a plug-in hybrid with a 32-mile range, while the Buzz is the first electric minivan you can buy in the U.S.
So, while the Buzz lacks some quirks, it has a market of its own at the moment. There are other electric vans like the Ford E-Transit and the Mercedes eSprinter, but these are more geared towards commercial use (VW has a cargo version of the Buzz in the EU, but it’s not coming to the US).
And the Buzz is selling well in the EU, and VW plans to dramatically increase production to meet demand in the US. So the company sees a large, untapped market and expects to capture it quickly. So despite my personal concerns, perhaps something more normal will fit well in a market that wants any Electric transporter.
And while the price isn’t exactly low, it’s lower than expected, and there are certainly plenty of higher-end minivans that are in that price range. Combined with potential state or local incentives and a potential lease rebate once VW introduces leasing, the Buzz could be priced quite competitively compared to the competition.
And besides, maybe we can salvage some of that quirkiness, either with a $3,400 add-on mattress, stove and storage kit or a complete camper conversion. VW bus fans certainly have no shortage of creativity (as we saw at the three-row reveal and the classic VW meet-up), so we’re excited to see what people end up doing with this new platform.
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