Here it is, an icon reborn, as Volkswagen prepares to launch a brand new Transporter van.
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The Transporter is thought to be the best-selling van of all time, with a history dating back to the 1950s and with VW having shifted well in excess of 12 million models since its inception.
As before, the Transporter will be available as a panel van, Kombi and Shuttle, and it’ll also presumably provide the basis for the lusted-after California camper.
And VW has given us a first-look at its seventh-generation Transporter ahead of a full reveal further down the track.
You can watch a full walk-around video, below, via YouTube.
So, what do we know so far about a vehicle lovingly referred to as the ‘Bulli’?
VW says that the latest Transporter actually plays on the design of Transporters of old.
There’s a hint of the ‘T5’ Transporter, launched in the mid-Noughties, in the radiator grille while the original T1 is alluded to in the overall shape’s ‘iconic clarity’, says VW.
The German manufacturer also points out that the new design ensures the Transporter slots into the Bulli family alongside the electric ID. Buzz (below) and the outdoor enthusiasts’ Multivan.
When it comes to engines, VW says the Transporter will be available with diesel, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric powertrains.
Tweaks have also been made to improve practicality for business customers, with recessed rear doors extending far into the bumper, resulting in a low load sill height of only 575 mm to 638 mm, depending on the version.
Albert Kirzinger, Chief Designer of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand, enthuses: “We are transferring the DNA of our icon into modern times with the completely new Transporter. The details of the seventh Bulli generation pick up the characteristic design features of its six predecessors and give them a new interpretation. This has a tradition – every new Volkswagen Transporter has always represented a new visual beginning, a stylistic bridge between a long history, the present and the future. This is precisely what has kept this product line updated for over eight decades, making it the most successful van series in its class in the world.”
Pre-sales have already started elsewhere in Europe with the new Transporter priced from 36,780 Euros, or around £31,300.
Expect a full launch in the first quarter of 2025.
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