The Super Bowl is almost upon us, and ahead of Sunday's Big Game, Volkswagen has revealed a 90-second ad (embedded at the bottom of this article), a third of which will be shown during the second half of this year's edition of football's biggest annual event. The new ad campaign is titled "The Great Invitation: Drivers Wanted," a callback to the automaker's multi-ad "Drivers Wanted" campaign from the late Nineties, and it focuses on people saying yes to experiences that unlock joy. The nostalgic touch is welcome, as is the House of Pain song to which the ad is set, but there's one problem: the spot advertises a car VW doesn't offer for 2026, the retro-styled ID. Buzz.
ID. Buzz Is No More for 2026
In December last year, reports emerged that the all-electric minivan would not be available in the U.S. for the 2026 model year, though it's possible that the ID. Buzz will return for 2027. This followed a pause in production in October, which appears to have been caused by rising costs and stiff competition from Chinese automakers in Europe. So why has VW included the minivan in its promo if it's not available in the U.S.? Well, Volkswagen USA's website still shows availability of the 2025 model, and this may be a means of helping move stock. For the record, the ID. Buzz starts at $59,995 in Pro S form, or roughly 20 grand more than a Toyota Sienna. Another possibility is that this ad was shot before Volkswagen's decision not to offer the 2026 model, and given that a Super Bowl LX ad spot costs roughly $8 million to $10 million, reshooting the ad without the ID. Buzz might be too costly to consider. Of course, the ID. Buzz isn't the only vehicle VW highlights.
The Vehicular Stars of VW's 2026 Super Bowl Ad
Besides the ID. Buzz, VW's ad also shows off the Jetta midsize sedan, the Golf GTI compact hot hatchback, the Tiguan compact crossover, and the Atlas midsize three-row SUV. Missing from the ad but still included in Volkswagen's lineup are the ID.4 compact crossover (possibly because this is set to be rebadged as the ID. Tiguan) and the Taos subcompact crossover.
This year's Super Bowl is remarkably low on automotive advertisements. Besides VW, Toyota will show an ad celebrating 30 years of the RAV4, and Cadillac will unveil the livery of its racecar for its debut Formula One season. Considering the costs involved in securing an ad spot, not to mention casting, shooting, and producing it, it's not a huge surprise that some years have low participation from carmakers.
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