F
FivetonesCali
VIP Member
Volkswagen are in a proper mess aren’t they?
I’ve been putting thought to a replacement for my T6 Ocean 150. Like many of you in this thread I’ve been through the options. It’s just me mostly that uses the van, I walk and mountain bike and I have a small dog that comes with me. I wild camp mostly so don’t always use the pop top. I’d like 4WD ideally. I want an EV (to replace my T6 and my Mini SE combined).
My observations:
- The Buzz LWB could be made to work, especially in the LWB GTX (4WD) form. The pricing on these aren’t terrible either (£70k, though far from a value vehicle). The problem is the weight but also the flexibility of the interior. It doesn’t have the Cali/Caravelle/Multivan rails so a modular approach would be difficult.
- The new MV Cali - hybrid 4WD would work for me but in reality it’s an interim technology and £90k is a big commitment.
- The new T7 - it’s a Ford dressed up and if electric that might be ok in Panamericana form if they did a 4WD. The Transit Custom Nugget is £80k (PHEV) . I don’t see VW wanting to compete with themselves - the MV Cali will likely give them higher margins, a halo effect for the Multivan which doesn’t seem to be selling that well and can likely be produced in their own facilities more readily.
- For a T6 owner upgrading to a T6.1 is an option but the VED changes on newer vehicles,
End of the day the conclusion I’ve come to is to stick with my current Cali. It’s still the best option - the “Swiss Army knife”.
Generally, EV subsidies need to be reintroduced in the UK to boost sales of new vehicles and manufacturers need to commit more to supporting older EVs to shore up the residuals. (Longer battery warranty etc), and there still needs to be huge investment in the north in particular in fast EV charging infrastructure. Lastly, the long held promise of solid state batteries still looks 4-5 years off.
For VW in particular - most of the character has gone from their current offerings, they’ve dropped the ball on the EV shift and they can’t compete with subsidised Chinese EVs (tariffs could damage their Chinese sales - though their current strategy seems to close German factories and shift them to China). Arguably the Buzz, though flawed, is the only vehicle they currently offer that has any charm they should build on this and make sure they hurry on the PPE-based (the next platform after MEB) so it becomes the replacement for the T7/MV/MEB Buzz mess.
I’ve been putting thought to a replacement for my T6 Ocean 150. Like many of you in this thread I’ve been through the options. It’s just me mostly that uses the van, I walk and mountain bike and I have a small dog that comes with me. I wild camp mostly so don’t always use the pop top. I’d like 4WD ideally. I want an EV (to replace my T6 and my Mini SE combined).
My observations:
- The Buzz LWB could be made to work, especially in the LWB GTX (4WD) form. The pricing on these aren’t terrible either (£70k, though far from a value vehicle). The problem is the weight but also the flexibility of the interior. It doesn’t have the Cali/Caravelle/Multivan rails so a modular approach would be difficult.
- The new MV Cali - hybrid 4WD would work for me but in reality it’s an interim technology and £90k is a big commitment.
- The new T7 - it’s a Ford dressed up and if electric that might be ok in Panamericana form if they did a 4WD. The Transit Custom Nugget is £80k (PHEV) . I don’t see VW wanting to compete with themselves - the MV Cali will likely give them higher margins, a halo effect for the Multivan which doesn’t seem to be selling that well and can likely be produced in their own facilities more readily.
- For a T6 owner upgrading to a T6.1 is an option but the VED changes on newer vehicles,
End of the day the conclusion I’ve come to is to stick with my current Cali. It’s still the best option - the “Swiss Army knife”.
Generally, EV subsidies need to be reintroduced in the UK to boost sales of new vehicles and manufacturers need to commit more to supporting older EVs to shore up the residuals. (Longer battery warranty etc), and there still needs to be huge investment in the north in particular in fast EV charging infrastructure. Lastly, the long held promise of solid state batteries still looks 4-5 years off.
For VW in particular - most of the character has gone from their current offerings, they’ve dropped the ball on the EV shift and they can’t compete with subsidised Chinese EVs (tariffs could damage their Chinese sales - though their current strategy seems to close German factories and shift them to China). Arguably the Buzz, though flawed, is the only vehicle they currently offer that has any charm they should build on this and make sure they hurry on the PPE-based (the next platform after MEB) so it becomes the replacement for the T7/MV/MEB Buzz mess.
