--:-- Ryan Knutson: Welcome to The Journal. I'm Ryan Knutson.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: And I'm Jessica Mendoza.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: Today, we're talking about the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, the electric version of the iconic VW bus.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: That's right. Volkswagen brought it back to the U.S. after decades, but it's not living up to expectations.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: Our colleague Sean McLain has been covering the auto industry for years. He's written extensively about the ID.Buzz and its struggles.
--:-- Sean McLain: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: So, let's start with the basics. What's the ID.Buzz, and why was Volkswagen so excited about it?
--:-- Sean McLain: The ID.Buzz is a fully electric version of the classic VW bus. It's a boxy, flat-faced vehicle with a giant VW circle logo on the front, glass roof windows, and a two-tone paint job.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: That sounds like the original VW bus.
--:-- Sean McLain: Exactly. And that's the point. Volkswagen was trying to recapture the magic of the original bus, but with a modern twist.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: And the event in Huntington Beach, California, was a big deal.
--:-- Sean McLain: Yeah, hundreds of fans gathered with their classic buses parked on the beach. It was a celebration of the bus's cult-like following.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: But then Volkswagen announced that the bus was coming back, and it was going to be electric.
--:-- Sean McLain: That's right. And it was going to be called the ID.Buzz.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: So, what happened next?
--:-- Sean McLain: Well, the rollout was a disaster. The ID.Buzz was supposed to be a runaway success, but it's been an utter disappointment.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: That's a pretty strong word. What do you mean by "utter disappointment"?
--:-- Sean McLain: I mean that Volkswagen expected the ID.Buzz to sell hundreds of thousands of units, but it's barely cracked 5,000 since its launch.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: Wow, that's a huge miss.
--:-- Sean McLain: Yeah, it is. And it's not just the sales numbers. The ID.Buzz has also had some major recalls, including one for a faulty brake warning sign.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: That's not good.
--:-- Sean McLain: No, it's not. And it's not just the recalls. The ID.Buzz also lacks some basic features that American car buyers expect, like cup holders in the second row.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: That's a weird oversight.
--:-- Sean McLain: Yeah, it is. And it's not just the ID.Buzz. Volkswagen has struggled to recapture its market share in the U.S. since the bus and the Beetle stopped selling.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: So, what's going on here? Why is Volkswagen struggling so much?
--:-- Sean McLain: Well, I think it's a combination of factors. One is that the auto industry is notoriously slow to adapt to new technologies and trends.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: That's true.
--:-- Sean McLain: And another factor is that Volkswagen is a complex company with multiple brands and divisions.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: That can make it hard to coordinate and execute a strategy.
--:-- Sean McLain: Exactly. And I think that's part of the problem with the ID.Buzz. Volkswagen was trying to recapture the magic of the original bus, but it didn't quite get it right.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: So, what's next for Volkswagen?
--:-- Sean McLain: Well, I think they need to take a step back and reassess their strategy. They need to figure out what American car buyers want and need, and then they need to deliver that.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: That makes sense.
--:-- Sean McLain: Yeah, it does. And I think that's what Volkswagen needs to do if it wants to succeed in the U.S. market.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: Thanks, Sean, for sharing your insights with us today.
--:-- Sean McLain: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Ryan Knutson: And that's all for today. Thanks for listening to The Journal.
--:-- Jessica Mendoza: We'll be back tomorrow with more stories about money, business, and power.
--:-- [Music continues to play]
