Volkswagen is testing the next Transporter generations on the streets, Carscoops reports along with posting some spy shots. The new van looks much like the Ford Transit Custom it is based upon (see video), but there are nuances.
At least from the appearance standpoint, the VW van differs from its Ford donor. Starting at the front end, the radiator grille is new and looks like a smile. The headlights seem borrowed from the latest Multivan with minimal changes.
The powertrains will likely be identical between the two, though. Like the Transit Custom, the Transporter can be expected to ship with a variety of diesels, a plug-in hybrid powertrain based on a 2.5-liter engine, and a purely electric version copied from the Ford E-Transit Custom.
The passenger-oriented Multivan T7 debuted in the summer of 2021 based on Volkswagen’s own MQB platform. Its commercial version – the Transporter – is shaping up to be a completely different model. According to an agreement struck between the two companies a few years ago, it would be largely designed by Ford despite having the VW badge on.
The same applies to production: the new Transporter will be assembled at a Ford factory in Turkey, at the same site where the current Transit Custom lineup is made.
The original release plan revealed by the commercial transports division of Volkswagen in the spring of 2021 said the new Transporter generation would be released in 2023. It now looks like that deadline may be missed, however, with the van more likely to arrive sometime in 2024.