Caravelle becomes the first mainstream Volkswagen product in South Africa to be sold with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
T7 Caravelle has been priced ahead of its market launch. Picture Volkswagen
Shown in left-hand drive at its annual product Indaba in February, Volkswagen has revealed pricing of the long awaited T7 Caravelle ahead of its South African market debut.
‘Proper Volkswagen’
Officially available for pre-ordering, the T7, for now, becomes Wolfsburg’s flagship people carrier above the Ford Transit/Tourneo Custom-based Transporter.
Part of an eventual three-model transporter range, the other being the all-electric ID. Buzz, the T7 adopts the Caravelle moniker in place of the international Multivan designation, never used in South Africa.
Available only as a single variant, the Style, the Caravelle breaks from tradition as it omits a diesel engine for the first time.
Spec
Additionally, South Africa does make the pre-facelift variant and not the revised version unveiled in Europe last week.
This means specification comprises the older 10-inch Digital Cockpit and infotainment system and not the new 10.25-inch and 12.9-inch combination.
Providing seating for seven, the Caravelle’s other confirmed features comprise:
- Matrix I.Q. LED headlights;
- tri-zone climate control;
- ambient lighting;
- configurable table console in the second row;
- electric tailgate;
- dual electric sliding doors;
- Adaptive Cruise Control;
- Park Assist
A Volkswagen South Africa first
As before, the Caravelle retains use of the 4Motion all-wheel drive system, but as mentioned, drops the bi-turbodiesel 2.0 TDI from the T6.1 Caravelle engine for a Volkswagen South Africa first plug-in hybrid.
Paired to a toggle switch operated six-speed DSG, the setup combines the newer 1.5 TSI Evo engine with a 19.7-kWh battery pack powering a single electric motor.
Called eHybrid, the T7 Caravelle develops 180kW/350Nm, which represents a power increase of 46 kW over the TDI, but a torque drop of 100 Nm.
Supporting DC charging up to 50 kW will require a waiting time of 26 minutes from 10-80%. The claimed all-electric range is 91 km.
Price
Priced at R1 794 000, the T7 Caravelle’s sticker includes a three-year/120 000 km warranty and a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.
