First video of the - Ford based - VW Transporter (t7?)

[Corradobrit]

No mention of a 4motion option though.

Says it will be an option at a later date.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

Says it will be an option at a later date.

Yes - the new shape Ford Nugget specifically mentions a 4WD option - something they have resisted previously. I just hope they don't add on £10k as VW seem to for those wishing for 4Motion with diff lock.

 

[Corradobrit]

German configurator now live

https://www.volkswagen-nutzfahrzeuge.de/de/konfigurator.html/__app/neuer-transporter.app?---=%7B%22configuration-step-navigation-service%22%3A%22%2F%3FconfigStep%3D%257B%2522context%2522%253A%252272033-76115-Transporter%2BKastenwagen%2522%252C%2522selectedStep%2522%253A%2522trim%2522%257D%22%7D

 

[Corradobrit]

They are really working hard to hide that Ford Transit DNA

 

[Corradobrit]

4 Motion AWD is about a 3K euro option in EU. Hybrid is pricey at almost 60K and only comes with a slush box CVT auto transmission. No mention if the other auto transmission options are DSG or CVT.

 

[JollyGoodShow]

German configurator now live

https://www.volkswagen-nutzfahrzeuge.de/de/konfigurator.html/__app/neuer-transporter.app?---=%7B%22configuration-step-navigation-service%22%3A%22%2F%3FconfigStep%3D%257B%2522context%2522%253A%252272033-76115-Transporter%2BKastenwagen%2522%252C%2522selectedStep%2522%253A%2522trim%2522%257D%22%7D

Fascinating, thanks for sharing this. Those prices look higher than the 6.1 but I’m not sure by how much. Does anyone have a sense of what the like for like prices look like? The big question for me is what will happen to used California pricing. Historically depreciation has been extremely miserly and I’m hoping that continues!

 

[Corradobrit]

Fascinating, thanks for sharing this. Those prices look higher than the 6.1 but I’m not sure by how much. Does anyone have a sense of what the like for like prices look like? The big question for me is what will happen to used California pricing. Historically depreciation has been extremely miserly and I’m hoping that continues!

Well if the reports are true and this Ford/VW Transit T7 will not have a Cali variant, with VW relying on the Multivan to full the gap, I would say the residuals for a T6.1 are going to remain very strong for some time to come.

 

[Dasteknoviking]

Seriously hope the diesel engines are not Ford...

Well it seems Mercedes is going to be the lone choice in this class of vans. V Class engines and gearbox are on another level.

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[bgg1b]

Seriously hope the diesel engines are not Ford...

Well it seems Mercedes is going to be the lone choice in this class of vans. V Class engines and gearbox are on another level.

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And having own several Mercededes cars their software is far superior and it actually works all the time!!

 

[Blueeyedboy]

With the T6.1 production coming to an end and the wait to see what the Concept will achieve this is just a stop until they can finally produce a proper electric California.
I personally think the Concept will be a flash in the pan, T6, and 6.1 will hold high once books close and potential a full electric California late 2025.
Lots will disagree I’m sure

 

[lohr500]

Yes - the new shape Ford Nugget specifically mentions a 4WD option - something they have resisted previously. I just hope they don't add on £10k as VW seem to for those wishing for 4Motion with diff lock.

4Motion with diff lock in the UK is about £4.5k more than the 2wd 204PS version, or £7.7k more than the 150ps 2wd version. Granted a lot more expensive, but not £10k more.

 

[WelshGas]

Everything is just speculation. When it comes to commercial vehicles no business is going to pay extra for a badge/name if the vehicles are built on the same production line with the same drivetrains without some significant difference that makes commercial sense. Standard options or better dealer network etc might make commercial sense but not a name/badge difference between identical vehicles.
Once upon a time Seat was the poor man's VW, but not now. Brand loyalty can be pushed so far.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

4Motion with diff lock in the UK is about £4.5k more than the 2wd 204PS version, or £7.7k more than the 150ps 2wd version. Granted a lot more expensive, but not £10k more.

That is not my experience over the last 2 years since I've been looking, sadly. I'm referring to new stock models (as I intend to eventually purchase) and not building from the VW ordering website that you mention.

You can buy a 73 plate brand new in-stock Cali Ocean from as little as £68k, however the very cheapest stock new 4Motion that I have seen is £80,999 - a gap of well over £10k, hence my post.

 

[calibusje]

@sagy: I just posted these photos and didn't give an opinion (yet).
I am currently in doubt about the new Ford Transporter: Volkswagen will do its best to make it a Volkswagen product, but whether it will be enough remains to be seen. We have all been used to the general shape of the t5-t6.1 transporter for a long time. The entire drivetrain itself could also come from Ford, but that remains to be seen. I actually hope that there will be a California based on that new transporter because the Multivan California is most likely not a possible successor to our T6.1 Coast: too much of a lifestyle product than a small campervan with which the four of us can travel. I don't dislike the new Transporter like you do, but I'm not a fan of it at the moment either. We'll see what he'll be like.
What is certain is that we find our t6.1 very suitable for both travel and daily use and it will not need to be replaced anytime soon

 

[clarinetbcn]

With the T6.1 production coming to an end and the wait to see what the Concept will achieve this is just a stop until they can finally produce a proper electric California.
I personally think the Concept will be a flash in the pan, T6, and 6.1 will hold high once books close and potential a full electric California late 2025.
Lots will disagree I’m sure

When VW announced the Transit based T7 starting in 2024 a couple of years ago, they also announced that the new Multivan would have a short run due to corporate plans to produce only electric vehicles. I posted the press release on the forum a while ago, I’ll look for it. So yes, stop gap was VW’s plan, we’ll see how that works out. I’m not interested in the new Multivan, but not because VW has planned it as an orphan. It’s because its car based chassis is an inefficient use of space. Just look at the distance from the front bumper to the steering wheel, all useless space, with a second A pillar stuck on the front to disguise what is actually the long hood of the car chassis. This results in a vehicle which is larger than a T6 on the outside but smaller on the inside, the antithesis of efficient van design. A short run for the Multivan is not a financial problem for VW since the car chassis was already in production and marketing has stuck a fake nose on the front to make it look like a van instead of an SUV, a design concept that I and most van owners that I know do not find interesting.

I don’t know what VW intends to do with the new Transit/Transporter, but I’m certain that Westfalia is already making plans.

 

[wildslammer22]

The Stiches & Steel take on the new T7/Transit

I guess for guys like them that kit out adventure vans this will potentially increase their market size and make the accessory market for the new Transit almost as big as it currently is for the Transporter, this in turn could further undermine VW's ability to continue to charge substantial premiums for their badge.

 

[wildslammer22]

@sagy: I just posted these photos and didn't give an opinion.
I am currently in doubt about the new Ford Transporter: Volkswagen will do its best to make it a Volkswagen product, but whether it will be enough remains to be seen. We have all been used to the general shape of the t5-t6.1 transporter for a long time. The entire drivetrain itself could also come from Ford, but that remains to be seen. I actually hope that there will be a California based on that new transporter because the Multivan California is most likely not a possible successor to our T6.1 Coast: too much of a lifestyle product than a small campervan with which the four of us can travel. I don't dislike the new Transporter like you do, but I'm not a fan of it at the moment either. We'll see what he'll be like.
What is certain is that we find our t6.1 very suitable for both travel and daily use and it will not need to be replaced anytime soon

This collaboration may well kill the California long term but in the grand scheme of things the commercial market is way more important for VW than the campervan niche. I suspect this will be good news for converters as the extra space afforded by the new platform has lots of potential to package up a great daily drive camper. The California brand depends a lot on VW being able to continue to charge a substantial premium for their badge to justify the one stop support network. That will be really challenging on the T7/Transit platform which may be one of the reasons there has been no announcements about a new California using the Transporter. It’s going to be hard to charge £5-10k more for a badge if the platform and drivetrains are the same as the Ford.


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[clarinetbcn]

When VW announced the Transit based T7 starting in 2024 a couple of years ago, they also announced that the new Multivan would have a short run due to corporate plans to produce only electric vehicles. I posted the press release on the forum a while ago, I’ll look for it. So yes, stop gap was VW’s plan, we’ll see how that works out. I’m not interested in this model, but not because VW has planned it as an orphan. It’s because its car based chassis is an inefficient use of space. Just look at the distance from the front bumper to the steering wheel, all useless space, with a second A pillar stuck on the front to disguise what is actually the long hood of the car chassis. This results in a vehicle which is larger than a T6 on the outside but smaller on the inside, the antithesis of efficient van design. A short run for the Multivan is not a financial problem for VW since the car chassis was already in production and marketing has stuck a fake nose on the front to make it look like a van.

I don’t know what VW intends to do with the new Transit/Transporter, but I’m certain that Westfalia is already making plans.

If anyone questions VW’s and other manufacturers’ switching to electric, remember that VW has already announced that the switch will result in a 30% reduction in their work force because of the vastly simpler manufacturing and assembly process compared to ICE (no transmission, oil pump, fuel pump, valve train, pistons, engine with basically 3 moving parts, etc.) while being able to charge a premium price over ICE vehicles. Engine braking on VW diesels is nearly eliminated by the injection system except at very low speeds due to pollution requirements, requiring heavily reinforced braking systems which can be simplified using regenerative braking (just try the difference using engine braking at very low speeds compared to almost no engine braking in 3rd gear and up going downhill on current models.Those of us who grew up in mountain regions using manual gearboxes for braking now notice the lack of engine braking even with diesel’s much higher compression rate compared to ICE. To be fair this has also happened to current ICE vehicles for the same reasons.) All attention is now concentrated on reducing the cost of manufacturing batteries.

Salvaging their reputation for the dieselgate scandal by switching to electric, a legal obligation VW had to accept in order to be allowed to continue in the U.S market, is a distant second.

 

[Dasteknoviking]

VW is going through a rude awakening as are other OEMs... Consumers don't want touch screens on wheels, and they want physical buttons and don't want EVs.


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[clarinetbcn]

VW is going through a rude awakening as are other OEMs... Consumers don't want touch screens on wheels, and they want physical buttons and don't want EVs.


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People do want the driving experience electric vehicles provide, smooth, powerful, silent, vibration free, nearly maintenance free. What they don’t want are range and durability problems. If those are solved, only those who still keep horses and video tape machines will keep ICE vehicles as nostalgic primitive hobbies.

 

[calibusje]

This collaboration may well kill the California long term but in the grand scheme of things the commercial market is way more important for VW than the campervan niche. I suspect this will be good news for converters as the extra space afforded by the new platform has lots of potential to package up a great daily drive camper. The California brand depends a lot on VW being able to continue to charge a substantial premium for their badge to justify the one stop support network. That will be really challenging on the T7/Transit platform which may be one of the reasons there has been no announcements about a new California using the Transporter. It’s going to be hard to charge £5-10k more for a badge if the platform and drivetrains are the same as the Ford.


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Yes. Well, I wasn’t even talking about how much they charge for their products -the so-called premium prices. I just wanted to say that the Multivan California cannot be a successor for us and I hope that there will be a California based on the new transporter. How it is powered and whether it is actually a Ford honestly doesn't matter that much to me. As long as it looks clearly different from a transit -don’t like the looks of it- both inside and out, and remains under two meters. I'll see what comes next.
However, the ‘collaboration’ with ford won’t kill the california as a brand; Volkswagen makes a lot of money with their California, which is why they also make a separate model series (based on Transporter, Crafter, Multivan and Caddy and as said: hopefully also the new Ford Transporter). The california as we know it now is very profitable for them; it is their goose that lays the golden eggs and they will be careful when creating a successor to the current Cali (I can only hope it isn’t just the multivan california).
They must know what they are doing by having made their very well selling commercial van made by Ford; they may be better off in the long run than having designed one themselves. And for sure the many converters will gratefully make use of the newcomer.
If there is a California based on the Ford Transporter, I think it could certainly cost enough because a California now clearly costs more than a Nugget and the latter is certainly not a bad campervan; why is that? I don’t know. The nugget is something totally different as small campervan so maybe that’s why. Check prices at westfalia or the sister company Stylevan: not likely VW will ask less than them for their comparable small campervan, no matter what it is based on
Anyway, about that premium price tag now.
Maybe this is true, but is it exaggerated? To justify? If people think prices are not justified, then they have to draw their conclusions; I don’t buy things where I don’t think the price is justifiable.
Is it expensive? Yes. The fact that something is expensive can be, even very expensive and then you see whether you want to spend the money on it, but if something is unjustly expensive or out of this world expensive, that’s a harder choice to make. Maybe better don't buy it then? There is always an alternative that one is willing to pay. Everyone decides that for themselves.
I have decided that I was buying a beautiful - at one point handmade - product that meets my wishes and that we could afford. We bought a new T6.1 California Coast (wanted a manual roof) and it was fully paid for; we saved for it. I wouldn't have done this if I had put myself and my family in financial trouble, so the so-called premium price isn't too bad I guess. After all it is a well-equipped transporter, already prepared, taken off the assembly line and brought into another factory, exclusively to transform it -largely manual- into a small, handy campervan with a team of technicians. Question: how much is that worth to you? We payed under 60,000 euros: new coast -2022- (with 13,000 euro options), 150 hp and DSG. Ok for me when I compare with other small campervan manufacturers.
Finally, it wasn’t supposed to be a Volkswagen, but their California and this for what it is: a well built handy little campervan. We looked further than just Volkswagen with its california when we were searching for a successor for our T4 Westfalia, but we ended up with the T6.1 California for all the reasons that we have been enjoying for 21 months now.

My pride and joy a bit dirty.

 

[Corradobrit]

The fact I can drive the Cali and completely forget I'm sitting in a 3 ton house on wheels is well worth the price of admission alone. Not a squeak or rattle is heard. Amazing really. Lets hope what comes next is built to the same standard.

 

[Corradobrit]

On the new T7 Transporter, the AWD option is 5000 euro extra incl tax, but without the locking diff.

 

[Corradobrit]

An independent motoring journalist speaks.... its 'smoov'

 

[wildslammer22]

An independent motoring journalist speaks.... its 'smoov'

Transporter HQ have a new Transit that they are 3D modelling for accessories (with an eye to being ready for the T7). He said he thinks the new Transit drives better than the T6.1 which will be controversial!

I remain convinced that the aftermarket accessories businesses like Transporter HQ will do really well out of the Transit/T7 model.


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