Volkswagen

The all-electric minibus was supposed to come back this year, but now Volkswagen is pushing it the first half of 2027. When it does return, it will be slightly different, with only two-tone exterior paint, physical buttons on the steering wheel, NACS charging, and a Tourer trim aimed at camping enthusiasts. According to Automotive News, other changes include updated software, vehicle-to-load functionality, and digital key integration. In the meantime, MOIA America is using the previous generation versions as robotaxis.

Shortly after confirming it was looking at closing plants and cutting up to 100,000 jobs, the world’s 2nd largest auto company posted miserable financials and a desperate outlook as it lays the ground work for a radical overhaul of its business under threat from Chinese upstarts.

Volkswagen’s cost-cutting crusade could result in model cancellations at all of the auto giant’s brands, including the all-electric Porsche Taycan, Cayenne Coupe, and 718 successor. Other models to get the ax include the VW Jetta and Taos, and the Audi Q5 Sportback and Q6 E-Tron Sportback. VW’s profits have slumped as it faces billions in tariff costs and stiff competition from China.

First teased in 2023, this ID. Polo GTI is the first EV in the GTI brand’s 50-year history, launching in Germany this fall for “just under” €39,000, and probably never in the US. It features a 52kWh battery with a max range of 424 km (263 miles). Volkswagen says the electric GTI can accelerate up to 100km/hr in 6.8 seconds.

VW is swapping the electric compact SUV with the gas guzzling Atlas at its Chattanooga factory, right in the midst of a global oil crisis. The automaker says it will continue to sell ID.4s in the US while it still has inventory, and promises future version of the EV for the US market — with no timeline attached. The ID.4 is the latest casualty of the Trump administration’s knee-capping of the EV market in the US.

Uber and Volkswagen are now testing their first robotaxis on the streets of LA, in anticipation of launching a commercial service later this year. The all-electric VW ID Buzz minivans are using autonomous technology developed by VW subsidiary, MOIA America. The company plans on scaling the fleet to 100 vehicles during the testing phase. Each vehicle will have a safety driver ready to take over in case something goes wrong.

The Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies joint venture brought one of its new software-defined test vehicles to Sweden and Germany to see how it handles the cold. They stress-tested the all-wheel drive system and validated over-the-air software functionality, amid other tests. Most importantly, the completion of these tests bring Rivian a step closer to receiving the next tranche of investment from VW, which will be crucial as the automaker ramps up its R2 production.

The SUV pioneer owned by Volkswagen won’t start production on its first EVs, the Terra truck and the Traveler SUV, until 2028, not 2027 as originally planned, German publication Der Spiegel reports (as noted by The Drive). Given the dour mood around EVs these days, a one-year production delay isn’t the worse news.

The joint venture, which operates under the official name Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, is prepping its first prototypes for winter testing in the first quarter of 2026, InsideEVs reports. These include VW, Audi, and Scout test mules equipped with zonal architectures, with consolidated ECUs and less wiring. The first crop of passenger vehicles will also be Audi, Scout, and VW branded models, including the VW’s ultra-low cost ID.EVERY1. Audi and Scout will feature three zonal ECUs, like the second-generation R1T and R1S vehicles, while the VW ID.EVERY1 will come with just one zonal ECU.

It’s been almost two years since the German automaker said it was adopting Tesla’s NACS standard for its electric vehicles. And at last, long after pretty much all the other automakers have already adopted the standard, VW is following through. Starting November 18th, VW ID.4 and ID Buzz owners can buy a NACS adapter online or from their local dealer for $200, which they can then use to fast charge at any of the 25,000 Supercharger outlets in North America. That’s super!

IIHS moderate overlap crash test results for seven EVs show good ratings for the i4, Blazer EV, post-April 2025 Cybertruck, and ID.Buzz, and acceptable for Tesla’s Model 3. (No word on the door handles.)

VW subsidiary Moia announced today the series production version of the fully autonomous ID Buzz minivans that will comprise the company’s robotaxi fleet in Los Angeles in 2026. If you’ve ever ridden in a Waymo, you’ll recognize a few familiar designs, like “start/stop” buttons, an external keypad for entry, and plenty of cameras inside and out the vehicle. I also noticed a bunch of smart choices, like luggage carriers in place of a front passenger seat and linoleum flooring for the passenger who inevitably spills their full Starbucks drink (or vomits, I guess).

The Lanzador EV concept-based vehicle will also “allow for up to 2,000” horsepower according to Volkswagen Group and Porsche CEO Olliver Blume, who shared the details at an annual media conference. Future Audi, Porsche and Bentley vehicles will share this new platform, however, Blume teases that the Lamborghini will have “a very specific set-up.”

Volkswagen previewed its ultra-low cost €20,000 ID EVERY1 electric vehicle yesterday, but the press material didn’t mention that it’s the first EV to launch with technology developed by Rivian, thanks to their $5.8 billion joint venture.

Along with the event launch date, VW Group CEO Thomas Schäfer posted a new sketch on LinkedIn showing a cute high-roofline crossover that probably won’t come to the US. The EV was referred to as the “ID. Every 1,” but that’s only the show car name.

The availability of new parts has allowed Volkswagen to lift the stop-sale order it put in place last September, after hundreds of ID.4 owners complained about their doors randomly opening while driving (including your’s truly). The door issue certainly took some of the shine off the ID.4 — VW said it only sold 646 in Q4 of 2024, a 94 percent drop year-over-year.

ABC News reports the deal covers over 120,000 workers, but will cut over 35,000 jobs by 2030 via early retirement and buyouts. It also outlines production plans and locations for future vehicles, including an electric Golf, Q4 E-tron, ID.7, and another EV based on the SSP platform.

Sweden’s Northvolt filed for Chapter 11 this week after racking up $5.8 billion in debt and burning through $30 million in cash. The company had investments from Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs and orders from Audi, Porsche, and BMW.

To celebrate its recent coupling, Volkswagen and Rivian brought a few journalists to its new Palo Alto-based office to see an example of the type of EVs they plan on building together. (Handelsblatt’s Felix Holtermann posted the first pic to his LinkedIn.) The unmarked VW test vehicles are running on Rivian’s software and electrical architecture, which the company boasts uses fewer electronic control units and less wiring than most other EVs.

The SUV pioneer that is now owned by Volkswagen plans on revealing its first battery-powered vehicle on October 24th, according to a banner on the company’s site. No specifics yet, but we’re likely to get a truck and/or an SUV, something designed for off-roading, while also being perfectly at home in a Target parking lot. Expect lots of “chunky” buttons.