BMW iX3 Demand Higher Than Expected, Volkswagen ID Buzz Demand & Production Dropping – CleanTechnica

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Well, we’ve got some good news and bad news on electric vehicles here. The BMW iX3 is apparently seeing more demand than BMW expected. However, VW ID Buzz demand is reportedly lower than expected or hoped, and production is being paused.

BMW Happy

Starting with the good news, the BMW iX3 was launched at the IAA on September 8. Christian Ach, head of BMW Group Germany, has indicated that the company received more than 3,000 orders for the iX3 in the 6 weeks since its launch. (That is apparently quite a lot for a model like the iX3. Just wipe out of your mind any memory of the crazy EV order numbers we see in China when new EV models are launched.)

Here’s the best news: Ach also said that BMW seen significantly more demand for the iX3 than for the fossil-fuel-powered X3. Also notably, this is the first model built on the Neue Klasse platform. The next model built on the Neue Klasse platform will be the i3 — not like the original BMW i3, but rather an electric version of the BMW 3 Series. Production is supposed to begin in the first half of next year

“The iX3 is built at BMW’s new plant in Debrecen, Hungary. The first iX3 models are expected to be delivered in Germany by the end of this year, with full dealer availability across Europe by the first quarter of 2026,” Automotive News Europe writes.

Circling back to China, BMW does hope the new iX3 will do well in China. “We want to be No. 1 in the premium segment there,” BMW sales chief Jochen Goller told Automotive News Europe.

Volkswagen Not Happy

Unfortunately, Volkswagen is not having as much luck at the moment with one of its electric models.

“Production of the electric Volkswagen ID Buzz in Hanover, Germany has been paused from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24 due to slowing demand, changing market conditions, and ‘intense competition in the markets,’ according to the automaker,” The Drive writes. “Volkswagen will temporarily halt production of the ID Buzz electric minivan and Multivan light commercial vehicle as slowing demand prompts the automaker to scale back output,” according to Automotive News Europe.

Ugh. Yikes. The ID Buzz always seemed to have so much promise. It’s got such a good combination of modern tech, a futuristic look and features, but then also throwback elements to the original hippie bus.

Unfortunately, range is admittedly not the best, and the ID Buzz is not super cheap and accessible like the original Volkswagen Bus or Volkswagen Van. As one commenter on reddit puts it, “Sometimes I open the configurator, spec out a seven seater style with the sunroof, verify that the price is still around €80,000, and close the tab. Utterly insane pricing.” Another responded, “Man my wife just got a new car & I got the itch, saw an ad for this and looked it up around me, average was like $73k, I stopped looking.” Indeed. This would be at the top of my shopping list if it was more affordable.

You can get better deals on the ID Buzz in Europe. But it’s apparently still too inaccessible to sell in the volumes Volkswagen hoped. Maybe Volkswagen will find a way to solve these problems and get volumes up again?