By Nate Swanner Autoblog
A reimagining that revived nostalgia
Automakers love to tease us with retro vehicles reimagined as futuristic EVs. Honda continues to tease its 70s-era Civic, born anew in the age of electrification. Still, the brand that made good on its promise was Volkswagen, which brought back its beloved Bus as an EV it dubs the ID Buzz. Though VW failed to capture the essence of the Bus in final production (sorry, VW, it's a cool minivan, but not "the" Bus), an interesting stat about which ID Buzz sells best should raise eyebrows.
In 2024, the ID Buzz started selling around Thanksgiving and accumulated 1,162 sales by the end of the year. In Q1 2025, its first full quarter of sales, that figure jumped to 1,901 units. Speaking to Automotive News, Hein Schafer, VW's senior vice president of sales operations for the U.S. market, says the ID Buzz sold well in Q1 2025 thanks to better availability, particularly in California. "Only in the last month or so have we really got our California dealers properly stocked," said Schafer, adding that the distance from its plant in Hanover, Germany, where the ID Buzz is built, contributed to the vehicle's slow start out west. He also notes buyers prefer two-tone paint schemes on their ID Buzz.
Retro EVs - the hot new thing?
If one vehicle is iconic in California culture, it's a two-tone VW Bus. That California is responding well to the ID Buzz-and buyers prefer two-tone paint-is not purely coincidental. "The single-tone vehicle doesn't sell as quickly as the two-tone car," Schafer said, adding, "There are folks that have been waiting for this car for a very long period of time."
Interestingly, Schafer added that people are opting to purchase their ID Buzz rather than lease it, something uncommon in the nascent EV market. Experian notes that while EVs make up shy of ten percent of new car purchases, they account for 20 percent of new vehicle leases in Q4 2024.
Schafer says the automaker expects leases to pick up as ID Buzz inventory becomes more available at dealerships, suggesting that buyers who are purchasing early may have a deep affinity for the vehicle.
Resurfacing an iconic vehicle is working for VW and has, to some degree, worked for other automakers, too. Ford has successfully branded its flagship EV as a Mustang, and Chevy brought back the Trailblazer nameplate as an electrified SUV. Those aren't dedicated reimaginings of older vehicles, but it all suggests that buyers respond well to the familiar when buying or leasing their first EV.
Final thoughts
VW disappointed a bit with its final production ID Buzz, which eschewed the "pill" design we fell in love with on early prototypes. However, it hit a home run with the retro two-tone paint scheme, which brings a bit of old-school cool to its latest EV. Ultimately, buyers are buying two-tone ID Buzzes in droves, which is a long-term investment in something that pulls at the heartstrings just a bit.
Hopefully, other car makers will follow suit. If Ford wants to bring back a 1965 Mustang as an EV or Chevy wants to revisit the 1968 Camaro SS as an electrified muscle car, sign us up for a test drive-or we can skip straight to the purchase paperwork. Like ID Buzz owners, we already know we want one.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM.
