Volkswagen to pull the plug on ID.5 EV, blame it on sluggish sales

Volkswagen is planning to shelve its ID.5 electric car from the OEM's EV lineup as early as 2027. Introduced in 2021, the swoopy electric SUV seems to end its run with a seven-year life cycle, as the automaker has no plan to bring a second-generation iteration of the model. The reason behind the decision to drop the model from the product lineup is possibly sluggish sales, as the ID.5 failed to gain traction in European markets.

British automotive publication Autocar UK has reported that Volkswagen will drop the ID.5 from its product portfolio in 2027. The report claimed that consumers in the European markets prefer more spacious and conventionally styled ID.4 over the ID.5, which is a reason why the brand never tasted upbeat sales for the latter model. Also, not launching the ID.5 in the United States further limited its potential.

Interestingly, the move comes at a time when, after a hesitant start, the Volkswagen Group’s EV onslaught is finally paying off. In the first half of 2025, Volkswagen Group's global EV sales rose 47 per cent to about 465,000 units, giving the company an 11 per cent share of the global market.

What's more interesting is that the ID.5 actually tops the Volkswagen Group’s EV sales charts for the first half of the year, but only because its numbers are combined with those of the ID.4. Also, discontinuation of the ID.5 raises questions about the fate of the Ford Capri. Ford revived the iconic nameplate on its own coupe-styled electric crossover in 2024, but production was soon reduced in response to rapidly deteriorating market conditions for electric vehicles. Now it is to be seen how Ford reacts to the discontinuation of the ID.5.

The discontinuation of Volkswagen ID.5 seems to be part of the brand's broader effort to cull underperforming models. Volkswagen has already shelved the Passat sedan, recently ended Arteon production, and is rumoured to drop the Touareg in 2026. The T-Roc Cabriolet, too, will bow out in 2027. The plans for a smaller ID.Buzz minivan to replace the ageing Touran has also been scrapped.

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