VW Won’t Bring Small EVs To The U.S. But It's Mulling An Electric Pickup

America already has plenty of large, electron-guzzling vehicles, yet manufacturers don’t want to bring cheaper EVs to the States.

Photo by: Volkswagen

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Apr 18, 2025 at 10:00am ET

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Volkswagen's U.S. boss confirms no plans to bring the ID.1 and ID.2 to North America.
VW is considering developing a midsize unibody electric truck, which could be related to the Atlas.
There are also plans to add non-plug-in hybrid powertrains to some core models.

Volkswagen is putting the finishing touches on a range of new affordable EVs that it wants to sell in Europe. The production versions of the ID.Every1 and ID.2All (which is getting a GTI hot hatch variant) will join the lineup soon, but there are no plans to bring these small EVs to the United States.

That’s not surprising given that VW decided against bringing the larger ID.3 across the pond. Furthermore, the company has also shifted to a mostly SUV and crossover lineup over the last few years. You can still buy a Jetta or a GTI, but those are the only choices amid a sea of SUVs and crossovers (and the ID. Buzz of course). The manufacturer also changed its mind about selling the ID.7 in the U.S., likely fearing it would face weak demand.

Photos by: Volkswagen

Now VW’s North American CEO, Kjell Gruner, has confirmed in a round table discussion at the New York Auto Show, quoted by Car & Driver, that the manufacturer has no plans to bring the brand’s new small EV Stateside. He said, “These products are too slow” for the U.S. market, and because they would have to be imported from Europe and thus incur tariffs, “you would just end up with a niche product that is too expensive for what it does.”

Small, affordable EVs would have been a hard sell even without tariffs, but since the profit margins on smaller vehicles are much slimmer, President Trump's war on everything imported has surely sealed the fate of the ID.1 and ID.2 in America.

Gruner noted that VW will try to consolidate its current position in the U.S. and revealed that the manufacturer plans to add hybrid powertrains to some of its core models. He didn’t say what these models were, but he likely referred to the top-selling Tiguan, the Atlas and the Taos.

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VW also has no plans to add any new EVs to its U.S. lineup other than possibly an electric pickup truck. This new midsize model would not be a heavy-duty body-on-frame vehicle and it could be related to other unibody VWs like the Atlas. Such a pickup was previewed by the Tanoak concept and it would sit below the VW-backed Scout Terra body-on-frame pickup, which will be available with both pure electric and range-extended power.

What this ultimately means is that there will continue to be an acute lack of small and affordable EVs for U.S. buyers, although some are on the way. These include the new Chevrolet Bolt, which should have a starting price of around $25,000, or the new affordable Tesla, which will be even cheaper than the Model 3. The $35,000 Rivian R3 is coming in 2027 and Jeep is working on an electric version of the Renegade, which promises an EPA range of 250 miles. It should debut in the next few years.