The American publication Road & Track drew attention to an atypical trend: a number of modern electric cars will miss the 2026 model year. Formally, they are not being discontinued, but in 2026 they will not appear in dealerships, and the return of most of them is scheduled only for 2027.
The electric car market in the US is going through a period of correction – tariffs are changing, incentives are being reduced, and manufacturers are forced to flexibly adjust their strategies. Instead of completely closing projects, some companies have chosen a different tactic – a kind of “pause”.
The loudest news was about the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. The electric minibus, which entered the American market only in 2025, will not have a version of the 2026 model year. Volkswagen explained this by the need to sell off 2025 inventory and optimize resources before moving to the 2027 model year. At the same time, the company’s management emphasizes: there is no question of completely discontinuing the model.
Hyundai has chosen a similar path with the Hyundai Kona Electric. Production of the electric version of the Kona has been suspended for 2026 due to a sufficient supply of 2025 cars. Production is expected to resume in June, immediately with the transition to the 2027 model year.
Audi has done otherwise. The new Audi A6 e-tron and Audi Q6 e-tron will simply “skip” the 2026 model year. The reason is the planned hardware and software updates. The company decided not to launch a short production run in 2026, but to immediately introduce improved versions of the 2027 model year.
The future of the base version of the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T looks less certain. Dodge has suspended its production, citing the impact of US tariff policy. At the same time, the Scat Pack version remains in the lineup for now, and the return of the R/T in 2027 has not been confirmed.
The situation is more complicated for Polestar and the Polestar 2 model. Due to tariffs on Chinese-made cars, sales of this model in the US have effectively been curtailed. The new generation of Polestar 2 is not expected to appear before 2028, while the current version is unlikely to return to the American market.
