The new Volkswagen California Camp will end the VW era

The Volkswagen California 6.1 was never the best-looking California in history, dragged down by its oversized double-stacked grille, but it brought its fair share of new innovations to the nameplate. Now, Volkswagen is preparing it for retirement, starting to produce a “Final Edition” version of 1,500 models that will see the 6.1 era and welcome in the innovative new California T7, which will be shown for the first time in a few weeks.

Volkswagen introduced the T6.1 Transporter in 2019. The California 6.1 and the reimagined California Beach 6.1 camper followed a few months later, as did the growing market for T6.1 camper vans. Just a mid-cycle upgrade, the T6.1 wasn’t a particularly fast step, but the California lineup saw some impressive additions during the 6.1 update, including a bed rest, smart home controls, and a first-ever kitchen . feature in the Beach light camper, a clever single burner that folds into the door panel.

As always, some of the most interesting camper setups and accessories to adorn this latest generation of VW Transporter came not from Volkswagen itself but from a host of German and international VW camper conversion specialists.

There were road-ready classic cruisers, beautifully appointed city cruisers, rustic retreats and indoor/outdoor transformers, to name but a few.

We might seem overly concerned with the sunset of the simple V.1 camper that existed for a quick half-decade, but the passing of the torch from the T6.1 to the T7 represents a major generational change in VW camper history. passenger cars. Since its introduction in 1988, the California has been built on Volkswagen’s Transporter van platform, starting with the unrecognizable T3 that combined ’80s styling with the ultimate rear-engine hoodless profile.

The Transporter will now move to the Ford platform, becoming something of a VW-badged Transit Custom, and the California will bid adieu to its sole home in the VW-built T7 Multivan MPV. Volkswagen showed off a near-production version of the new T7 California at last year’s Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, and if the production team follows that idea to a T (pun recognized, though not intended), it promises to be the biggest step forward for the California in some time. tall

Messe Düsseldorf/Constanze Tillmann

The biggest layout change from the California 6.1 to the California Concept (T7) was the introduction of a driver’s side sliding door to complement the passenger side sliding door. That opened up easier entry and exit for rear passengers and inspired Volkswagen to create a new indoor/outdoor kitchen design for easy camping cooking.

A removable touchscreen command tablet was another addition that could prove invaluable, given that it doesn’t end up in the concept-to-production cutout box, like touchscreen systems have in the past.

While the driver’s side redesign marks the biggest change to the floor plan, the biggest addition to the California Concept comes in the available powertrain lineup. Volkswagen said at last year’s Düsseldorf show that the production California T7 will be available for all existing Multivan powertrains, marking the launch of the California’s first PHEV. The Multivan has a 215-hp eHybrid drive that pulls 30 miles (50 km) from a 13-kWh battery via a 114-hp electric motor. The 1.4 liter TSI engine starts to increase power, range and refueling flexibility.

VW Commercial Vehicles

The California plug-in is doubly good news now that Volkswagen has settled on launching an electric ID. Buzz camper van. As first reported by Motor vehicle, VW Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) head of sales and marketing Lars Krause said last month that Volkswagen still has ID plans. Buzz camper van but it won’t come until later this decade. Dismissing earlier reports that weight was the problem, Krause pointed to a lack of demand for all-electric campers. The California T7 PHEV will primarily serve as a stepping stone into electrified Volkswagen RVs, VWCV CEO Carsten Intra added.

Volkswagen plans to host the digital world premiere of the California T7 on May 7. Before the T7 goes into production this summer, VW will send the California 6.1 to a “Final Edition” run of 1,500 camper vans. It doesn’t look like the wagons will be all that different from the rest of the California 6.1, outside of wearing badges on their B-pillars.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

The time elapsed between the 2021 introduction of the Mulitvan T7 and the start of this year of the California T7 camper van has taken longer than the T6 to California T6 or T6.1 to California 6.1, due to the significant improvement of the VW Commercial Vehicles van line shakeup and Ford Partnership. At the same time, VW has launched an easy sleeper conversion for the T7, and several T7 camper vans complete with camping equipment have already started from third-party manufacturers.

Still, the 2023 California Concept suggests that Volkswagen’s official camp version of the all-new Multivan will be worth the wait. We look forward to reporting on it on May 7.

Source: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles