Volkswagen | The Verge

The great EV pullback: all the obstacles, cancellations, and delays

2026-04-15T15:11:21-04:00

The auto industry bet big on electric vehicles, but now those ambitious goals are falling apart. Demand was already slowing down when Donald Trump took office and took an ax to pro-EV policy: the elimination of the federal EV tax credit, kneecapping clean energy, and bulldozing emissions rules. Tariffs have been taking their toll as well. And now US and European automakers are taking a bath on its EV investments, forcing them to readjust their model lineup. Hybrids are the new bet, and the EV future looks further away than ever — at least for the US. China continues to outpace the rest of the world in EV development, and stands poised to win that future.

Follow along below for all the latest updates about the EV industry.

Volkswagen rounds out new lineup of affordable EVs with ID. Cross concept

2025-09-07T10:46:37-04:00

Everyone basically agrees: if you want people to transition from polluting gas guzzlers to electric cars, you have to make them more affordable. The luxury EVs, with their big battery packs and fine leather interiors, are all well and good, but if you really want to move the needle on EV adoption, we need more entry-level options. And so far, we're lacking.

Volkswagen hears this, and is responding with a new lineup of small and mid-sized electric vehicles aimed squarely at the low end of the market. We've already seen the ID.2all - recently renamed ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI - and ID.EVERY1 concepts. Now we're getting a fourth concept, the …

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Lamborghini’s new plug-in hybrid is the fastest car it’s ever built

2025-08-18T14:54:06-04:00

Lamborghini makes fast cars; this is an indisputable fact. So when the iconic Italian automaker says it's new plug-in hybrid is both "the most powerful V12 every built" and "the fastest Lamborghini ever," you should pay attention.

At Monterey Car Week, Lamborghini unveiled its new Fenomeno plug-in hypercar that will be part of the automaker's limited edition "Few Off" collection, which also includes notable entrants like the Sián and Countach. But before you reach for your wallet, you should know that this exclusive machine will cost a whopping $3.5 million. Just in case you're worried about affordability.

If money is no option, then the …

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VW will deploy ‘thousands’ of robotaxis on Uber’s platform in the US

2025-04-24T15:53:26-04:00

Volkswagen isn't typically mentioned in conversations about robotaxis, but the German auto giant has been quietly working on its own self-driving technology for over a decade. And now the company is ready to deploy its first autonomous vehicles on Uber's ridehailing platform, starting with a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles in 2026.

The vehicles will be VW's ID Buzz electric minivans equipped with self-driving sensors and software developed by subsidiary Moia. The long-wheel base version of the Buzz can seat at least seven passengers, so VW is clearly trying to maximize its ridehailing potential. The goal is to ultimately have "t …

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Price hikes, idled factories, layoffs: how car companies are responding to Trump’s tariffs

2025-04-04T18:15:19-04:00

From Audi to Volvo

President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariffs on all auto-related imports have been called "a debacle of epic proportions" and a sure-fire way to tank the auto market by crushing demand. Analysts have been predicting everything from $12,000 per vehicle price hikes to the possible "Cubanization" of the US car fleet.

Now that they've had a few days to process the news, the automakers are starting to get their ducks in a row and make some moves.

Here's how each company is responding:

Audi

Now that the tariffs are in effect, the German automaker is holding all vehicles assembled in Mexico and overseas at US ports until further notice, accordi …

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Volkswagen is bringing back physical buttons

2025-03-07T16:46:00-05:00

The interior of the recently revealed Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 seems spartan but still has buttons. | Image: VW

Volkswagen is planning a return to physical buttons in its future vehicles over haptic sliders and touchscreen toggles for vital functions such as climate controls. The automaker's design head Andreas Mindt told Autocar that the company "will never, ever make this mistake again" and promises to bring together physical controls for volume, heating controls, fan speed, and hazard light activation below the touchscreen for all cars starting with next year's ID 2all.

Mindt also says the decision to bring back physical buttons was based on customer feedback. "Honestly, it's a car. It's not a phone: it's a car," said Mindt. "We understood this."

…

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The Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is an affordable EV for the masses

2025-03-05T12:07:10-05:00

The affordable EV won’t go into production until 2027. | Image: VW

Volkswagen is bringing up the lights on the ID. EVERY1 show car that it says will become the promised €20,000 (about $20,800 USD) affordable EV that will hopefully turn around the automaker's struggling business.

As market leaders like Tesla continue to promise - but not deliver - the elusive entry-level EV, VW is hoping to shake things up with the unveiling of plans for a whole lineup of mass-market vehicles. The car will also be a crucial competitor as VW hopes to fend off a tidal wave of affordable Chinese EVs. But whether it makes it to North America, with all the uncertainty around EV policy right now, remains unknown.

The car will …

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Volkswagen claims it’s actually making that $20,000 EV and will show it next month

2025-02-05T20:16:15-05:00

Volkswagen teased this concept image of its forthcoming entry-level EV.

Volkswagen has announced that next month, it will show off a new low-cost, entry-level EV that could cost just €20,000 (about $20,800 USD), the price it suggested it would hit back when it announced the ID. Life concept in 2021. That's a steal compared to current low-end US EVs like the over-$28,000 Nissan Leaf. Meanwhile, Volkswagen's most affordable American-sold electric car is the roughly $40,000 ID.4, despite having promised a more affordable car for so long.

The company didn't say what the cheaper follow-up model will be called, but adjusting the concept image VW included with its announcement exposes the name "ID.One," as one Bluesk …

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All the news about Scout Motors, a classic SUV brand gone electric

2026-02-18T13:22:02-05:00

Scout Motors, the classic off-road brand from the sixties, has been reborn as an electric vehicle company and is building a new SUV and pickup truck. The pioneering Jeep rival was brought back to life by Volkswagen in 2022 after the German automaker acquired Scout in 2020 (when it merged its commercial trucking company Traton with Navistar). VW made former Volkswagen Group America CEO Scott Keogh head of the new Scout, and said it would pump $1 billion into the company.

Two years later, Volkswagen’s new Scout has revealed two vehicles: the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck, which are advertised as affordable electric off-road vehicles built in the USA. One of the big selling points: more chunky mechanical buttons and fewer software controls. Oh, and an expected starting price under $60,000 before incentives.

Scout says it will start building the Traveler and Terra in late 2026, with a full production ramp in 2027. Can Scout pull off the modernized resurrection of a classic SUV and deliver it at a competitive price point compared to other electric off-roaders like Rivian’s R1S and the upcoming $45,000 R2? Does it help Scout that VW is now a significant investor in Rivian? Follow along below to find out where Scout is heading.

VW and Audi dealers are suing Scout over its no-dealers plan

2025-02-05T12:17:57-05:00

A coterie of Florida car dealers filed a lawsuit this week against Scout Motors over its direct-to-consumer sales model. The complaint alleges that Scout, which operates under the Volkswagen Group, is in violation of Florida law which blocks automakers from trying to bypass dealers by selling directly to consumers.

The suit, which was filed by nearly two dozen Audi and VW dealers, asserts that Scout's plan to sell its vehicles in Florida is "unlawful" since it has yet to secure a license from the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The dealers are seeking a court injunction blocking Scout from selling directly to Flori …

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