Volkswagen will postpone the introduction of new battery-electric models from its core brand in the United States until the end of the decade, prioritizing its current offerings and a next-generation vehicle platform, the company said.
Speaking at a media roundtable in New York, U.S. chief Kjell Gruner said the automaker will continue to emphasize the Volkswagen ID.4 and Volkswagen ID. Buzz in the near term, while seeing limited demand for smaller electric vehicles such as the upcoming ID. Every1 in the U.S. market.
The company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg later confirmed the strategy to Automobilwoche. The report attributed the delayed rollout of additional EV models to a combination of factors, including the suspension of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, U.S. tariff policies and constrained local production capacity.
A Volkswagen spokesperson said future electric models for the U.S. will be based on the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), a new architecture designed to underpin a wide range of battery-electric vehicles across segments. The platform is expected to support eight derivatives, with one संभाव candidate being an electric version of the Atlas SUV, a model tailored specifically for North American consumers.
Gruner also highlighted Volkswagen’s collaboration with Rivian on a software-defined vehicle (SDV) architecture, which is expected to debut in the ID. Every1 around 2027. However, he reiterated that compact EVs are unlikely to gain traction in the U.S., where consumer preference remains skewed toward larger vehicles.
“This is exactly the technology we need. It’s not just about software but also about hardware. You need a computing architecture and software that work together seamlessly,” Gruner said, referring to the Rivian partnership.
Volkswagen also indicated that the ID. Polo, scheduled for launch in other markets this year, is not expected to be introduced in the United States, consistent with its view that compact cars lack strong commercial prospects there.
In parallel, the automaker is shifting attention toward reviving the Scout brand in North America, where it plans to introduce pickups and SUVs. While initially conceived as fully electric models, these vehicles are now expected to launch first with range-extender technology. Following earlier delays, Volkswagen now expects the first Scout models to arrive in 2028, later than previously planned.