No No Not A Caddi ... The New Volkswagen Caddy

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will introduce the new Caddy at the RAI in Amsterdam . It will be launched in early 2004 as a van and Kombi with a choice of two diesel and two petrol engines.

The new Caddy is the first van that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has built independently. They are produced at the Poznan plant in Poland. With the new Caddy, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will for the first time benefit from the economies of scale of a VW mass-produced vehicle. By using Golf 5 and Touran modules, more than 50 percent of the component parts are shared. The vehicle front end is largely identical to that of the Touran, however it is adapted to meet the specific requirements of a commercial vehicle. Body and interior have independent styling and give a new quality appeal to the compact and light van segment.

Like its predecessors, the new Caddy will be available as both a van and a Kombi. It has grown in size: length 4405 mm, width 1802 mm, height 1833 mm, wheelbase 2682 mm. With a 750 kg payload it is a forerunner in its class.

The new Caddy has a loading volume of 3,2 m3, 300 litres more than its predecessor. The load compartment can be easily accessed from the back through rear wing doors or a tailgate. The standard right-hand sliding door also allows loading from the side. The new Caddy van is optionally available with a second sliding door but it is also available without the right-hand sliding door. The loading width between the wheel arches measures 1172 millimetres and the loading length is 1781 millimetres. The flat load compartment floor is able to hold a europallet.

The new Caddy Kombi is the first vehicle in the van segment to be designed as a seven-seater. The first row of seats in the passenger compartment is divided into 1/3 to 2/3 as standard and can be folded and tipped. This means the Kombi has a potential luggage space of 2305 litres, one of the largest in its class. As an option, the customer can order a second bench seat in the rear, which accommodates two people.

The new Caddy Kombi has a comprehensive safety package, all seats are equipped with three-point safety belts and there are driver and front passenger airbags. Side airbags can be ordered as an option. ABS with brake assist and TSC are also part of the standard equipment. ESP can be ordered as an option on the Kombi (1.6-litre petrol engine and 1.9-litre TDI). The new Caddy's brake system with all-round disc brakes is optimally dimensioned for the transportation of different types of load.

Four engines are available in the new Caddy. For the market launch the 1.4-litre petrol engine with an output of 55kW / 75 PS and the 2.0-litre SDI unit injector diesel engine with an output of 51 kW / 70 PS will be available. More powerful engines will follow shortly: 1.6-litre petrol engine with output of 75 kW / 102 PS, and a 1.9-litre TDI with unit injector technology and an output of 77 kW / 104 PS.

2003-09-17 Please quote Autoindex.org if You use this news article!