Car News TV coverage of VW at IAA Frankfurt Motor Show 2009

Wanderlust-ready – Caddy for the globetrotter

-Caddy PanAmericana concept car was designed for real-life giants
-All-terrain 16-inch tires, full-time all-wheel drive, leather interior

For generations, commercial vehicles from Volkswagen in the style of a Bulli, Multivan or California have been the first choice of globetrotters. That is because they are virtually indestructible and infinitely versatile. Exactly 23 years ago, in the summer of 1985, Volkswagen treated globetrotters (and users of the Transporter models) to the first vehicle with all-wheel drive. A short time later, one of these vans drove around the globe in 131 days – faster than any other car before it.

Since that time, the talented and versatile vans from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles have been demonstrating their mastery of long journeys as well as the great construction sites of this world – even making passages that were previously the exclusive domain of off-roaders. A model under the “VW” label especially designed for duty off the beaten path is the Multivan PanAmericana. Essentially, this is a specialist among specialists. In a world premiere at the IAA 2008 in Hanover, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is now presenting the second vehicle under this legendary name – the Caddy PanAmericana concept vehicle.

From a technical perspective, the concept car – like the new Caddy 4MOTION – sports the latest generation of 4MOTION all-wheel drive with electro-hydraulic Haldex clutch. It distributes power from the 250 Newton-meter strong TDI (77 kW / 105 PS) between the front and rear axles so that optimal traction is always guaranteed.

Visually, the concept car – outfitted with two sliding doors – is identified by typical PanAmericana insignias such as “Salt Lake Grey Metallic” body paint, large 16-inch wheels with all-terrain tires (here in size AT 215/70 R16), robust black plastic bumpers, recessed side skirts in aluminum look, protective underbody components in the front and rear also in aluminum look, as well as PanAmericana signatures on the engine hood and its two-section door-style tailgate. Specially framed in aluminum trim are the dark tinted side windows in the rear (privacy windows). In contrast to the production Caddy, tinted taillights and black-background headlight housings were applied to the concept van.

The interior has been upgraded by the use of luxurious and durable leather in the “Cricket” pattern. Similar to the “large” PanAmericana, the seats are designed in a natural brown tone. The individual leather sections are joined by distinctive cross-stitching; for contrast the piping is designed in a light gray tone. Also color coordinated here are the air vents in the instrument area with the metal look of their bezels. Also designed in leather are special pockets in the rear seating area that serve as extra storage compartments.

Incidentally, the PanAmericana name is an homage to two record drives on the route between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego. First, one extreme athlete rode a bicycle over the 22,880 kilometer long stretch between Prudhoe Bay and his destination Ushuaia in support of Aids relief. In another, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles set a world record in the year 1999: the Multivan Syncro of that time completed the Pan-American Highway – the world’s dream road – in just 15 days, 14 hours and 6 minutes. Without all-wheel drive this passage would have been unthinkable

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles seeks continued growth with new products

Pictured left to right of screen VWCV Board Members Stephan Schaller (CEO), Dr Wolfgang Schreiber (Product & Development) and Harold Schomburg (Sales & Marketing).

• Five world premieres at IAA Commercial Vehicles
• New series: Volkswagen Pickup show car
• Worldwide deliveries up 9.3 per cent to end of August

Hanover, 23rd September 2008. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is presenting five world premieres at IAA Commercial Vehicles, including a preview of the Volkswagen Pickup which will be launched as the fourth new series of light commercial vehicles towards the end of 2009. The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand is on a growth track – deliveries to customers on a worldwide basis rose by 9.3 per cent to 343,100 light and heavy commercial vehicles by the end of August.
“New products, new markets, new technology – the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand continues to experience sustainable and profitable growth”, emphasised Stephan Schaller, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at today’s press conference.

The brand intends to increase its worldwide deliveries of light commercial vehicles to 800,000 units by 2018. According to Schaller, this growth is to be achieved by introducing new products and by developing variants of the existing product range, some of which can be seen for the first time at IAA Commercial Vehicles.

The most spectacular highlight of the trade fair from VWCV’s perspective is its first ever presentation of a Volkswagen Pickup show car. This adds a fourth series (in addition to Caddy, T5 and Crafter) to the brand's range of light commercial vehicles, which already boasts an extensive set of variants.

This means that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be the first volume manufacturer in Europe to enter the 1-tonne Pickup segment, with its high growth global potential. According to Schaller, the key markets for the Volkswagen Pickup are the countries of South America – especially Brazil. He also sees South Africa, Australia and South East Asia as being important markets for this universally adaptable commercial vehicle. And the vehicle will also be introduced into the European market. Overall sales projections for the new Pickup amount to around 100,000 units per year.

Schaller was confident of achieving worldwide total deliveries of over 500,000 light and heavy commercial vehicles in 2008. He was optimistic of achieving this annual target, despite difficult economic conditions at the present time in certain European countries.

Schaller: “Markets are getting harder – but Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will continue to grow this year.”

This is borne out by sales figures from the most significant markets.

• In Germany deliveries of vehicles in the Caddy, T5 and Crafter series grew by some 7.5 per cent between January and August – a total of approximately 79,800 vehicles.
• In Western Europe product delivery numbers grew by 3.2 per cent to 190,900 units.
• In the booming eastern European markets, deliveries rose by nearly 30 per cent to more than 32,900 light commercial vehicles. In Russia alone the brand sold 6,630 units, up 87 per cent.
• In South America deliveries of light and heavy commercial vehicles increased by around 25 per cent to 82,300 units.

The President of Volkswagen Trucks and Buses, Roberto Cortes, predicted that 2008 would see a new worldwide delivery record of 60,000 heavy commercial vehicles and buses. Volkswagen has been the market leader in Brazil for the last six years, and now has a market share of some 31.6 per cent.

In addition to the Volkswagen Pickup show car, the brand is presenting four other world premieres in Hall 12 at this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles, taking place between 25th September and 2nd October.

• The Caddy 4MOTION opens another chapter in the success story of this series. With the sales launch planned perfectly for the start of winter, it will at last be possible to buy a delivery van with a permanent four-wheel drive option. In the Caddy 4MOTION, power is distributed via an electronically controlled latest generation Haldex gearbox.

• The Caddy PanAmericana Studie is a variant of the Caddy 4MOTION for globetrotters. With its 16 inch all-terrain wheels, off-road look and feel, not to mention its high-quality yet robust leather interior upholstery, the Caddy PanAmericana Studie turns heads.

• With the Caddy Life Style Edition, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is presenting the most exclusive series Caddy of all time – a top-of-the-range Caddy variant due to be launched in November 2008.

• Another world premiere is the Crafter BlueMotion Studie. This 3.5-tonne diesel estate has a fuel economy rate of 31.04 mpg and already complies with the Euro 5 emission standard due to come into force in autumn 2009.

As Schaller said, with the Volkswagen Pickup, with the world premieres and also with other models adapted to meet the needs of global growth markets, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is well positioned to continue along the track of profitable growth.