Volkswagen announced that it was developing an all-electric platform in October 2015, as part of its response to the diesel emissions scandal. The platform was eventually named the MEB platform. The BUDD-e was revealed on January 5, 2016 at the Consumer Electronics Show, as the first concept based on the forthcoming MEB platform. That was the day after the United States Department of Justice filed suit against Volkswagen AG for its role in the diesel emissions scandal.