VW Commercial Vehicles to launch new electric van in 2024
As the British magazine Autocar reports, the new VW Transporter will sit on the same platform as the Ford Transit Custom – or its electric offshoot, the E-Transit Custom. And just like the latter, the new Transporter will be produced in Kocaeli, Turkey. That had already become apparent due to the well-known alliance between VWCV and Ford.
Furthermore, Autocar learned that from the market launch in 2024, the Transporter will be available as a shuttle or minibus with up to nine seats for commercial passenger transport, as an estate car with two rows of seats and a load compartment, and as a classic delivery van with a large load area. However, according to the magazine, the assumption that there will also be a “Sportline” version has not been confirmed.
The cooperation between VWCV and Ford dates back to the time of the former group CEOs Herbert Diess at VW and Jim Hackett at Ford. At that time, the two companies concluded the MEB cooperation for the Ford Explorer and another Ford model from Cologne with MEB technology from Wolfsburg. And they also explored a collaboration between the divisions for light commercial vehicles. As a result, the pickup VW Amarok uses technology from the Ford Ranger (including a plug-in hybrid), and the VW Transporter moves closer to the Ford E-Transit Custom.
While Ford will also offer a passenger car version on the same basis as the E-Tourneo Custom, VW is not planning a Ford-based Multivan or California. The Multivan T7 is based on the MQB passenger car platform, and the California will probably follow. “A Multivan has to be much more comfortable and much more upscale [than the Transporter],” VWCV Carsten Intra told Autocar. “This is why we now have two line-ups.”
Ford had introduced the E-Transit Custom in September 2022. The electric drive produces either 100 or 160 kW, and the maximum torque in both cases is 415 Nm. The 400-volt battery offers 74 kWh net energy content, which should be enough for up to 380 kilometres, according to WLTP. The DC charging power is 125 kW, and it is said to take 41 minutes from 15 to 80 per cent. The data of the VW counterpart is not yet public.
However, it is interesting to note that the payload of Ford’s E-transporter is up to 1.1 tonnes (between 5.8 and 9.0 cubic metres load volume). The towing capacity of up to two tonnes is also worth noting. That is one of the top values among light electric transporters and means that the Ford surpasses the already available electric transporter from VW, the ID. Buzz Cargo, based on the MEB.
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