Volkswagen Announce New Transporter & Caravelle

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles unveils the completely redesigned Transporter for its world premiere at IAA Transportation 2024. Until 22 September, visitors to the trade fair will have the opportunity to take a look at the 7th generation of the successful product line at the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles stand (Hall 12). Each feature has been taken to a new level: the new Transporter launches with more space, increased payload, higher maximum trailer weight and greater economic efficiency. In addition, state-of-the-art assistance systems ensure greater safety; well-thought-out cockpit and control elements make every day work easier. The same applies to the Caravelle presented at the same time – the product line’s nine-seater Volkswagen bus. For the first time in the history of the Transporter and Caravelle, these multi-function vehicles will also be available with a plug-in hybrid drive and electric drives as an alternative to the range of turbocharged diesel engines. The new vans’ clear design is refreshingly new and yet clearly follows the style of their iconic predecessors.

With the debut of the next-generation Transporter, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is finally implementing its strategy of offering “the right Bulli for every customer”. When the first Transporter was presented to the press in 1949, nobody imagined that this T1, the driving force behind the German economic miracle at the time, would become such a successful model family. And now 75 years later, the Bulli has long been a permanent fixture of international automotive heritage. The 2024 Bulli range consists of the new Transporter, the Multivan and the ID. Buzz. The Transporter product line comprises pure commercial vehicles and the Caravelle series. The Multivan is the family’s recreational and business van and has also just launched as a redesigned California camper van. The ID. Buzz and the ID. Buzz Cargo commercial vehicle version are the first electric mobility icons. Transporter, Multivan and ID. Buzz – the 7th generation Bullis – currently form the widest range of models in their class on the market.

 Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles offers the new Transporter as a panel van (focused on goods transport). In addition, the nine-seater Caravelle was designed for commercial passenger transport – a shuttle and minibus par excellence. In the redesigned cockpit landscape of the Transporter and Caravelle, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles combines the digital world of displays and controls with robust hard keys, ensuring that the vehicle’s control centre is easy and safe for professionals to use in any situation. This also includes the integration of various USB and 12 V sockets as well as the option to add one or, in the case of the plug-in hybrid and electric models, up to three 230 V sockets. The stowage volume in the panel-van Transporter has increased by more than 10 per cent to 5.8 m3. The maximum payload of up to 1.33 tonnes (an extra 0.13 t) corresponds to the higher load volume. Volkswagen has also increased the maximum trailer weight by 0.3 t, which now reaches up to 2.8 t (braked, with 12% gradient).

There are seven efficient drive versions will be available upon market launch. For the first time, this range includes three turbocharged diesel engines (TDI), a plug-in hybrid drive (eHybrid) and three electric drives (e-Transporter and e-Caravelle). The TDI engines deliver 81 kW (110 PS), 110 kW (150 PS) and 125 kW (170 PS). The 125 kW TDI is always combined with an 8-speed automatic gearbox, which is optionally available for the 110 kW TDI as an alternative to the 6-speed manual gearbox. The TDI models from 110 kW can be ordered with 4MOTION all-wheel drive. A system power of 171 kW (232 PS) characterises the plug-in hybrid drive combined with an automatic gearbox (eHybrid). The e-Transporter and e-Caravelle launch with 100 kW (136 PS), 160 kW (218 PS) and 210 kW (286 PS). The capacity of their battery is 64 kWh (net).

Order books for the new, seventh generation Transporter open next month, with first examples arriving here in March 2025. Launch vehicles will come with a choice of three TDI engines with outputs of 110hp, 150hp and 170hp. Buyers will be able to choose between two equipment levels – Trendline and Highline – with generous specification and a raft of options available on all models. Fully electric versions of the Transporter are due to hit Irish shores in Q2, 2025 with the eHybrid following at a later date.

Paul Hunt, Brand Director for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland, said: “The Transporter has been a mainstay of Ireland’s commercial sector for more than 70 years. The seventh-generation model brings with it more versatility, efficiency and choice than ever before. Over the years, the Transporter earned its reputation as a reliable workhorse. That remains the case with the seventh-generation model. However, the addition of a state-of-the-art cockpit and driver assistance features, added space, greater towing capacity and a bigger payload, brings it to the next level. With eHybrid and fully electric drivetrains joining the line-up shortly after launch, the Transporter has never been a better proposition for businesses the length and breadth of the country.”