Slow-Selling Electric VWs
As of September 2025, Volkswagen’s slowest sellers are the performance models, the Golf GTI and Golf R (5,700 and 2,684 units, respectively), and its EVs, the ID.4 and ID. Buzz (22,125 and 4,934 units, respectively). Clearly, demand for battery-electric Volkswagens isn’t there in America, and the automaker may have a solution: range-extended EVs.
Range-extended EVs sit between pure electrics and traditional hybrids. You drive on battery power most of the time, but there’s a small gasoline engine onboard that works only as a generator when the battery runs low. This setup means you don’t have to worry as much about finding a charger, which is still a big concern for many American buyers. It’s not a full hybrid, but it does take away some of the range anxiety that comes with going all-in on electric.
Volkswagen is now looking into whether it should bring this setup to its biggest-selling SUVs and sedans in Western markets, including the US. The engineering is already baked into its next global platform, so it’s really just a question of when and where it will pull the trigger.
Extended-Range EVs Are the Key
This information comes from Bloomberg, which points to sources inside Volkswagen. Company leaders are now weighing shifting demand, changing policies, and the reality that EV sales are slowing down in both Europe and the US. All of this is happening as VW maps out its next five-year investment plan.
One big reason for the shift is that the EU is rethinking its 2035 ban on combustion engines. EV adoption hasn’t moved as fast as expected, so regulators are now open to other options. Germany’s leaders have even said they want to keep range-extended models legal past 2035, which gives carmakers more room to maneuver.
Volkswagen told Bloomberg it’s watching the market and will only roll out the technology if buyers actually want it. China is set to get VW’s first range-extended models next year, which means the engineering is already finished and ready to go.
VW’s Scout Already Announced a Similar Strategy
The timing matters because VW’s American off-road brand, Scout, has just shifted its focus to range-extended EVs. BMW is also looking at this approach again after putting it on the shelf years back.
Earlier this year in Shanghai, Volkswagen showed off three upcoming EVs for China, including the ID. Era, which is a family-sized range-extended model. If VW decides to bring range-extended vehicles to the US, this could be the one to watch, or at least the platform it will use.
Volkswagen isn’t walking away from electrification, but, like many other brands, it’s spreading its bets. Hybrids and hybrid-like solutions are back in focus, and VW seems ready to follow where the market goes instead of trying to push buyers ahead of their comfort zone.
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