VW Transporter and Caravelle T7: Electrified for the first time
VW has taken its time, but now the Transporter and Caravelle are also being converted to the current basis. This brings more variety in the drive range.
(Image: VW Nfz)
In 2021, VW presented a Multivan on a new basis, but postponed the generation leap to the T7 for the Transporter and Caravelle. VW Commercial Vehicles said that the T6.1 could have been sold for years to come. However, since July 2024, all cars registered in the EU for the first time must be better protected against cyber attacks. Retrofitting the T6.1 would no longer have been worthwhile. The T7 takes a clear step towards modernity, which is particularly evident in the drive system. The T7 was developed in cooperation with Ford. It will be officially presented for the first time at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover.
More space and payload than its predecessor
Visually, the T7 remains free of surprises. The design is largely familiar from the Multivan presented three years ago. For the majority of the target group, it's all about other things anyway. What counts for them is how much can be transported and how much the van costs overall. With a length of 5.05 m, the standard length of the T7 has become around 15 cm longer. At 5.8 m3, this version offers around ten percent more stowage volume, VW calculates. The estate and panel van are also available with a high roof and extended wheelbase for an additional charge. In this case, 9 m3 can be loaded. The maximum payload increases from 1.2 to 1.33 tons, and the maximum permitted trailer load has also been raised from 2.5 to 2.8 tons.
As with its predecessor, the number of variants and equipment options is enormous. They range from a panel van for transporting goods, which is also available as a "Plus" (seats in the second row, various partition walls), to an estate van for transporting passengers and a platform body, which is also available as a crew cab and with a long wheelbase. The estate and panel vans are optionally available with a high roof and extended wheelbase. The Caravelle with up to nine seats is designed for commercial passenger transportation.
Vorstellung VW T7 Transporter (10 Bilder)
VW Nfz
)Also with electric drive for the first time
In the end, the T6.1 was only available with a diesel engine, but the successor offers a much wider choice. In addition to the three diesel engines, there are three battery-electric drives and a plug-in hybrid. The provisional range at a glance:
| Leistung in kW | Antrieb | Getriebe | Batterie (kWh netto) | |
| batterieelektrisch | 100 | vorn | - | 64 |
| 160 | vorn | - | 64 | |
| 210 | vorn | - | 64 | |
| PHEV | 171 | vorn | 8-Gang-Automatik | 16,5 |
| Diesel | 81 | vorn | 6-Gang-Schalt | - |
| 110 | vorn (Allrad optional) | 6-Gang-Schalt (8-Gang-Automatik optional) | - | |
| 125 | vorn (Allrad optional) | 8-Gang-Automatik | - |
At 64 kWh, the battery in the e-models is a good deal smaller than in the VW ID.Buzz, which could significantly reduce acceptance among the target group. As with the plug-in hybrid, whose battery has a net capacity of 16.5 kWh, VW is not currently providing any information on the charging capacity to be expected. In the PHEV, we expect the data that is now standard in the brand's newer passenger cars. That would be 11 kW on alternating current and 50 kW on direct current. However, it is fairly safe to assume that VW will follow up with a battery-electric version with a significantly higher energy content.
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Still expensive
In any case, the versions with a combustion engine are the first to be launched. In the configurator, the least expensive T7 is currently listed at 43,768 euros (36,780 euros net). If you want the plug-in hybrid, you will pay at least 55,258 euros, but with 171 kW you also get much more power than in the basic diesel. However, the 125 kW diesel with an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard is not much cheaper. Whether this will convince customers remains to be seen. The T6.1 has made a remarkable final spurt. It is also thanks to it that VW Commercial Vehicles increased deliveries by 11.5 percent in the first six months and adjusted operating profit rose by 43 percent to 641 million euros. The operating return on sales rose to 7.9 percent. VW Passenger Cars is currently a long way from achieving this. More than 10,000 orders have already been placed for the new Transporter, says Lars Krause, Head of Sales at VW Commercial Vehicles. Deliveries are due to start at the end of the year.
(mfz)