California Beach set for Australia
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia has confirmed the new T6 Transporter, dubbed the T6.1, will touch down in the third quarter of this year, bringing with it a new camper van variant, the California Beach.
As before, the new Transporter will be available in a series of body styles covering both commercial, people moving and camper van duties, with the new California Beach variant set to be customisable via the customer pre-production order system.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia director Ryan Davies said the company was thrilled to see the return of a VW camper van, which was the result of strong customer demand.
“With the introduction of the T6.1 California Beach, we are finally answering fan and customer demand for a factory-backed, turn-key weekender – we’re ecstatic to be bringing the Kombi Van back to Oz,” he said.
As with most model updates, the T6.1 will boast new exterior styling in keeping with VW’S latest design language, a revised interior layout, new infotainment system as well as vastly updated safety tech and driver aids including front assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and crosswind assist.
Perhaps the biggest update to the Transporter will be the introduction of a new drivetrain – a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine good for 110kw of power and 340Nm of torque, put to the ground by all four wheels via VW’S familiar seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.
“The T6.1 range is more than just a facelift,” Mr Davies said.
“With the T6.1 update of our popular van and people mover variants, our Transporter range gives customers even greater access to our latest tech, design and safety systems.
“For our customers, the Transporter is more than just a van; it’s an office, a troupe carrier and a workhorse.”
VW says it will release more details about the new Transporter over the coming months, including local pricing and specification.
So far this year ending January, VW Commercial Vehicles Australia has sold 86 Transporter vans, accounting for 7.8 percent of the 2.5-3.5t van segment.
By contrast, Renault has shifted 114 Trafics, 10.4 percent, while Mercedesbenz has sold just 42 Vitos, or 3.8 percent.