The modern electric revival of the classic Kombi is starting to find its feet in Australia – helped by massive discounts – after a sluggish start to sales life.
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The Volkswagen ID. Buzz has passed 100 sales in a month – and has seen interest triple in three months – amid improved supply and hefty discounts, its maker says.
While its $87,990 plus on-road costs starting price is unlikely to see it challenge the Kia Carnival – which accounts for three in four people movers sold in Australia – the reborn Kombi is now outselling its Multivan diesel counterpart by more than two to one.
Data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) reports 108 ID. Buzz people movers as sold in December 2025, up from 73 a month prior, and accounting for a fifth of 2025’s sales total of 552 vehicles.
It was the country’s top-selling people mover that wasn’t a Carnival – a vehicle which attracted 986 deliveries last month – even ahead of the Hyundai Staria (96) that is half the VW’s price.
A further eight ID. Buzz Cargo vans were sold – normally priced from $79,990 plus on-roads – for a total of 190 in 2025.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Nathan Johnson told Drive that interest in the reborn electric Kombi has grown after what he admits was a “slow start”.
"Yeah, it's definitely picked up," Johnson told Drive at a media event in late December for an around-the-world record being set by an ID. Buzz.
"I think our lead inquiry has almost tripled over the last three months, which has been really good.
"Obviously, we had a slow start – some challenges with supply and so forth, but in the last couple of months, I think, you know, we're averaging about 30 a week at the moment.
"… Inquiry is definitely much stronger in the last few months. And we've got, from a Cargo perspective, we're definitely in the conversations with some great fleet opportunity as well. So things are looking up."
Johnson said the ID. Buzz is attracting more than just existing VW Multivan owners looking to go electric.
"The customer's quite diverse at the moment," the executive said. "I don't really have a pinpoint. Obviously families, but then we've also got the older generation, too, that have that heritage connection with it.
"It's a very diverse group of customers, which is good. I think as time progresses, we will start to see more of the larger families and so forth come across."
Significant discounts in recent months are likely a factor in the ID. Buzz’s increase in popularity.
Volkswagen is currently offering the ID. Buzz Pro five-seat short-wheelbase people mover for $79,990 drive-away, an estimated saving of about $15,000 from its regular drive-away price, depending on where it is registered.
The seven-seat, long-wheelbase version is currently $84,990 drive-away, down from an RRP of $91,290 plus on-road costs, which correlates to drive-away pricing of about $100,000, depending on the state or territory of registration.
"From a pricing perspective … we're around about where we need to be in terms of the market at the moment," Johnson told Drive.
"Obviously the market's quite competitive at the moment, in terms of some of the discounting and so forth, so we'll continue to evaluate it.
"I think the beauty of the moment is that the price – and discount – we've got has brought us into a lot more novated leasing conversations from being below the LCT, which is obviously one of the key priorities to get into that space.
"This topic is going to evolve over the next six months, depending on how the government moves with the tax incentives and so forth as well, so we'll see what happens there."
The Volkswagen executive is referring to an upcoming government review of the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption for sub-$91,387 electric vehicles purchased under a novated lease, which has attracted as many as 100,000 customers in Australia.
"We've just got to find the right buyer group," Johnson told Drive, when asked if a potential axing of the FBT exemption would be a worry for the ID. Buzz in the long term.
"I think we'll watch that space quite carefully as to what happens over the next couple of months, and then we'll make some decisions on that.
"At the moment we're ensuring that we get the momentum we need to build strong interest and deliver on the inquiry that's coming through in the car, and whatever gets thrown at us in the future, we'll tackle that head down, because we always do."
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
