2021 VW T7 Multivan / Caravelle Spied Hiding Production Lights, Plug-in Hybrid Tops Range

After last year’s facelift, the Volkswagen Multivan is in for a significant makeover. The new generation was spied testing in the cold, in people carrier guise, revealing major updates over its predecessor.

The T7 has an evolutionary styling that maintains the boxed-body of its predecessor adorned with modern elements found in newer VW models like the new front end design that echoes that of the new Golf. It also has softer corners and bigger windows, while maintaining sliding rear doors.

It’s believed that it will be based on an entirely new platform, and in particular, the Group’s MQB, though that’s something that has yet to be confirmed. Either way, power will come from VW’s familiar 2.0-liter petrol and diesel engines, while we will likely see mild hybrids joining the family.

The biggest news, though, will be the introduction of a plug-in hybrid. Rumored to be named the GTE, like other PHEVs made by VW, it was spied testing a couple of weeks ago and is understood to combine a four-cylinder gasoline engine with a small electric motor and a battery pack that should give it a zero-emission range of a few tens of kilometers.

The new T7 will be sold with an electric powertrain too, as VW experimented with such a variant in the outgoing iteration, which was co-developed with ABT Sportsline. Named the e-Transporter, it came with a 111 PS (110 HP / 82 kW) electric motor and a 37.3 kWh or a 74.6 kWh battery, for a total driving range of up to 208 km (129 miles) and 400 km (248 miles), respectively, in the old NEDC test cycle. The new one, however, will probably have nothing to do with the German tuner.

The T7 will reportedly be sold alongside the T6 and is expected to debut at the end of the year or in early 2021.