Volkswagen announced this week that it will delay the launch of its planned 2025 ID.7 electric vehicle (EV). Factories in China and Germany are already producing the car for sale in those countries. But VW provided no timeline for when the ID.7 might come to the U.S.
The ID.7 is a roomy electric sedan with a liftback profile and drivetrain choices of 282 or 335 horsepower. It shares a platform with the ID.4 SUV and the Audi Q4 e-tron.
Volkswagen says the ID.7 “has become an industry standard” in Europe, “winning various international awards and comparison tests.” The company recently introduced a Tourer variant (Volkswagen for wagon), and “customer demand for the models is higher than expected, especially in Germany.”
But EV sales growth has slowed in the U.S.
Kelley Blue Book parent company Cox Automotive reports that Americans bought 2.6% more EVs in the first quarter of this year than in the same period last year. By comparison, 2023’s first quarter EV sales had outpaced 2022’s by 46.4%.
What are Americans buying? Hybrids. Hybrid registrations grew 48% in the first quarter.
It’s not a death knell for EVs. A recent Cox Automotive study found that most EV skeptics will be willing to consider an EV by the decade’s end.
But it’s causing some automakers to slow EV plans to match that timetable.
Volkswagen says it remains “committed to electric mobility” and the fourth-quarter launch of the ID. Buzz electric microbus is still on schedule.
