Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VCV) chose this year’s Caravan Salon trade fair in Düsseldorf to present the California Concept, which previews a production version that will be sold in 2024. The California name has been used for a range of campervans designed and built in-house by the German automaker.
According to VCV, the California Concept is based on the long version of the Multivan that launched in 2021, making it larger than its predecessor, the California 6.1. The largest version of the MQB-based Multivan measures 5,173 mm long, 1,941 mm wide, 1,901 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 3,124 mm.
Within that footprint is a “house” on wheels which includes a pop-up roof at a height of almost two metres. This element is shared by all generations of the California from the first that was introduced in 1988 to the California 6.1 that will be replaced.
The California concept comes with two sliding doors, which includes one on the kitchen side for the first time. The company says this allowed extended use of the space around the vehicle, while also adding a new dimension to camping in the great outdoors.
Past California models based on the Transporter series had a kitchen area that stretched down to the B-pillar on the left-hand side and a sliding door on the right-hand side. The latter was the main entrance to the living space that saw the folding camping chairs, folding table and awning installed on the right-hand side of the vehicle.
With sliding doors on both sides, the kitchen is now located further back just like in the larger Grand California. A folding-arm awning on the left and a sun sail on the right means both sides of the vehicle can be protected from sun or rain.
Face-to-face seating for up to four passengers is available thanks to the front seats that can rotate 180 degrees, with the two rear individual seats doubling as a bed when folded down. As camping can get messy, the seats are upholstered with a hard-wearing in a Mélange design.
Notable amenities include practical drawers and cupboards to storage items, a refrigerator, an interior lighting system, a roof bed, a 230-volt power socket as well as an induction hob or gas cooker.
There’s also a tablet on the cupboard at the C-pillar to check on fresh and waste water levels and power supply status, while also controlling functions such as the roof’s pop-up mechanism, refrigerator, auxiliary heater, interior lighting and vehicle levelling. A ‘Cali on Tour’ smartphone app is another way to access vehicle functions and check on its status, and the tablet can also provide entertainment when attached and swivelled out on an articulated arm.
The production version of the California Concept will be offered with all drive systems of the Multivan, including a plug-in hybrid option. The eHybrid system eHybrid a 150 PS 1.4 litre TSI petrol engine with a 115 PS (85 kW) electric motor for a total system output of 218 PS, mated to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox driving the front wheels.
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