Volkswagen T7 California Concept Previews Next-Gen VW Campervans

Following its teaser earlier this month, Volkswagen has finally unveiled its latest campervan concept model, known as the Volkswagen T7 California Concept. Debuting at the 2023 Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf, Germany, this new concept van serves as a preview to upcoming campervan models by the German automaker.

The T7 California concept comes with built-in kitchen that is also rotatable

Unlike the previous California vans, the T7 concept comes with an additional sliding door on the left side. In spite of this addition, the T7 still comes with a built-in kitchen inside it, featuring kitchen essentials like an induction cooker, refrigerator, sink, counter top with drawers. The kitchen is also rotatable, which means that you can access them from the outside of the van when the left-side door is opened.

Complementing the two-door layout are two shades, with the right side getting a triangular-shaped one, while the left side gets a bigger, square-shaped awning – providing a much-needed shade for the aforementioned rotatable kitchen.

Aside from the kitchen, you can also transform the T7 California's cabin into a proper dining room, a living room, and even a bedroom with a proper bed!

Aside from that, the T7 still comes with few California campervan essentials, such as the 180-degree rotatable front seats, a rear bench seat that can be converted to a bed, as well as an aluminium pop-top roof with LED lights and USB sockets for power outlet. 

Said pop-top roof is controllable via a multifunctional tablet that is placed at the back of the van – also doubling as the infotainment display. Should you find this tablet-thing a bit too finicky, you can also control the roof opening and other van controls through a dedicated smartphone app.

In terms of design, the T7 California concept boasts similar design to other previous California campervans, featuring the trapezoidal silhouette with some styling cues derived from newer VW models. This includes the IQ.Light LED headlights and taillights with full-width LED bar at the front, while the car is finished in VW campervan’s signature dual-tone finish.

The production version of the T7 California concept will feature a PHEV variant

Another big news for the new California campervan is the comprehensive powertrain options it is offered with, including a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) one. First-time ever featured in the California family, the PHEV variant not only offers respectable EV range and better fuel economy, but it also comes with vehicle-2-load (V2L) functionality, meaning that you can draw power from its battery pack to use electrical appliances.

Aside from the PHEV, the T7 California concept also comes both fully petrol and diesel variants, as well as a series-parallel hybrid (HEV) variant, which reportedly will be based on the eHybrid powertrain used on the T7 Multivan. This setup consists of a 1.4-litre 4-cyl petrol mill that works in-tandem with a hybrid electric motor to deliver 215 HP.

As we mentioned earlier, the new Volkswagen T7 California concept previews the next-gen production California campervans, which is expected to hit the market later in 2024. As for the details pertaining to the prices, as well as the market availability, expect that information to come out closer to its launch date next year.