Connect with us

News

Volkswagen ID. Buzz pricing announced: starts at $59,995

(Credit: Martin Meiners)

Published

on

Volkswagen has announced pricing for the ID. Buzz, the reborn version of its famous Van that was widely successful, especially in the 1960s and 1970s.

The new ID. Buzz will start at $59,995 for its entry-level configuration, known as the Pro S. There will also be a Pro S Plus, which starts at $63,495, or $67,995 for the all-wheel-drive configuration.

Then there is the top trim, known as the 1st Edition, which will start at $65,495 and will cost $4,500 more for the all-wheel-drive configuration.

Volkswagen ID.Buzz headed to North America, marking the return of an icon

We’ll break these down more at the bottom of the page, but we want to highlight some of the customization and features of the vehicle first:

Features and Infotainment

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz will have a pretty robust infotainment package as it stands. It will have the newest version of the Volkswagen infotainment system with backlit controls, 12-way powered front seats, a heated second row (a great touch), wireless phone charging and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for more versatility.

It will also feature eight USB-C ports and a 110-volt outlet under the passenger seat, according to ArsTechnica.

Advertisement
-
-

The U.S. version of the vehicle differs slightly from the European version in the sense that pricing and features are not the same. In Europe, the entry-level ID. Buzz starts at $60,000 and has two fewer seats. It also has 8 kWh less of a battery than the U.S. version.

The three-row ID. Buzz has a 91 kWh battery pack and the rear-wheel-drive configuration also gets only 234 miles of range. This is only three miles greater than the AWD option, which is not super favorable at the price.

To be frank, it seems like a novelty item with the price tag and the lack of range. The features are great, though.

Configuration Breakdown

ID. Buzz Pro S – $59,995

  • Three exterior colors – Candy White, Deep Black, Pearl, and Metro Silver
  • Two Interior Themes – Copper and Moonlight
  • Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • 12-Way Powered Front Seats
  • Heated Second Row Seating
  • Wireless Phone Charging
  • 20-Inch Wheels
  • Three-zone Climate Control

ID. Buzz Pro S Plus -$63,495 or $67,995 for AWD

  • All features of ID. Buzz Pro S
    • PLUS
  • Two-Tone Paint Options Available for an extra $995
  • Electrochromic Panoramic Glass Roof for $1,495
  • Heads-Up Display
  • 14-Speaker Harman/Kardon Stereo
  • 360-degree Exterior Cameras
  • Power-Sliding Doors
  • Retractable Tow Hitch
  • Bench Seating Standard, but Captain’s Chairs Available
  • AWD gets Captain’s Chairs Standard

ID. Buzz 1st Edition – $67,045 or $71,545 for AWD

  • All features of ID. Buzz Pro S Plus
    • PLUS
  • Five Exterior Color Options – Cabana Blue, Energetic Orange, Mahi Green, Pomelo Yellow, Metro Silver
  • White Top
  • 20-inch Wheels
  • Roof Rail Cross Bars
  • Heritage-Inspired Floor Mats
  • Electrochromic Panoramic Glass Roof Standard

Deliveries will begin later this year, Volkswagen confirmed.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.

As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.

Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:

New Animation Screen for 3/Y

Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.

Advertisement
-
-

Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.

Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.

Grok Improvements

Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:

You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.

Advertisement
-
-

This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla briefly offered this Robotaxi part for your personal car

Published

on

Credit: @tpgoebel | X

Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.

Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.

First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.

This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.

However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.

Advertisement
-
-

Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?

While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.

AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.

This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Robotaxi gets sweeping but polarizing change

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.

Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.

But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:

However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.

Advertisement
-
-

Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.

Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.

The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.

Continue Reading