Cites European Demand and ‘Market Dynamics’
ID.Buzz Microvan Still On Schedule
Less than two months after confirming a third quarter launch this year for U.S. versions of the ID.7 electric sedan, Volkswagen has slammed on the sporty midsize EV’s regenerative brakes.
The company said this week that it is delaying the ID.7 sedan’s U.S. and Canadian launch and supplied nary a clue as to when or whether – the delay would end.
Unspoken was the slowdown this year in EV sales in the U.S. – they are still growing, but at a slower pace than in the past two years – and American consumers’ well-documented ambivalence toward sedans, electric or internal combustion.
The official reason given was unexpected European demand for both the sedan and ID.7 Tourer (European for station wagon, “especially in Germany.” The sedan went on sale in Europe last year, the wagon earlier this year.
VW hasn’t said whether the ID.7 Tourer was ever considered for these shores.
Station wagons, but almost any name, aren’t a big item in the U.S. either.
On the plus side, VW said the long-awaited ID. Buzz, its all-electric update of the classic VW Microbus, is still slated to launch here in the fourth quarter (Merry Christmas?).
The ID.7 sedan would have competed in the tiny premium electric sedan market with the likes of the redesigned Tesla Model 3 and the streamlined Kia EV6.
Volkswagen says the decision to delay it – with no mention of a new launch window – was prompted by its commitment “to making market-driven choices while listening to our customers.”
Customers, who, apparently, didn’t want an additional (and affordable) electric sedan sharing the road with the SUVs and pickups that dominate the U.S. car market today.