Volkswagen Australia confirms new California Beach campervan
The iconic campervan made famous in the ’60s and ’70s is set to return to Australia this year. But there will be huge changes compared to the original.
The time has come to plan your ultimate Aussie road trip — Volkswagen Australia has announced it is bringing its latest campervan to Australia.
Commercial vehicles boss Ryan Davies says the company has answered demands from fans and customers for a factory-backed weekender.
“We’re ecstatic to be bringing the Kombi Van back to Oz,” says Davies.
However, the “Kombi camper” is actually the new version of the company’s Transporter van and is more a spiritual successor to the Kombi of old.
The original Kombi was axed in its last market, Brazil, in 2013 as safety regulations demanded all new vehicle had airbags and anti-lock brakes.
Named the Transporter California Beach, the camper van will land in Australia in the third quarter of 2020, just in time for next summer’s holiday road trips.
VW will reveal details of the California closer to the vehicle’s launch. The previous version sold overseas features five seats and two double beds, the second in the pop-up roof. That version also had an exterior awning and plenty of handy storage areas but no cook top or water storage, meaning it was better suited to short stays at campsites rather than secluded locations.
The coming version could be powered by the Transporter’s new 2.0-litre turbo diesel (110kW/340Nm) paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto driving all four wheels.
The California Beach will gain a big safety upgrade with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert.
Volkswagen also has an electric version of the Kombi in the works. The people-mover, called the I.D. Buzz, is part of the German maker’s electric strategy, to produce a multitude of zero-emissions vehicles in the next decade.
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