Westphalia, does that name ring a bell? In addition to being a historic region of Germany, it is primarily a famous car body builder. Let’s look at ourselves in the context of time. In 1948, Volkswagen introduced its famous Transporter T1. A loose all-purpose suit using mechanics and part Beetle styling. Practical, useful and with a beautiful faceKombi quickly became an icon.

Until it became a symbol of “wagon living”, a very fashionable trend in the 1950s, especially in the United States. Where we see the emergence of a new way of life, rather a nomadic one. This is life in an equipped station wagon. Beds, kitchens, showers: vans are becoming more and more popular. At that time, Volkswagen surrounded itself with the best to offer its customers installed versions of the famous Combi. The first Westfalia station wagons appeared in 1951!

From Westphalia to California

The German coachbuilder/bodybuilder was not content with furnishing or equipping the vehicles at the time. He develops an innovative retractable roof system, which rises so that you can stand on board and, above all, to accommodate the bed. This system can be found on most Westfalia station wagons and son subsequent generations of Transporter (1967, 1979, 1990, 2003 and finally 2015).

But after the appearance of the fourth generation in 2003 Now Volkswagen is developing its own camper model: California. Of course, this name already existed on the T3 and T4, but they were still produced in Westphalia at the time. The current California uses the same principle of an installed van, with the famous historic bed-roof of Westphalia. The current generation is still based on the 2015 Transporter T5 and is starting to show the weight of the years… Good news, a new generation is coming…

New California for summer vacation

The basis of the new California will not be a Transporter, but a Multivan. Indeed, Volkswagen has updated the Multivan (passenger version) in 2021, but not yet the Utility Transporter. Thus, the new California will take the design and lines of the Multivan. Starting with this horizontal grille with matrix LED headlights. The transition to a higher category will be obvious, paying attention to the comfort on board and the cushioning system. her dashboard and its main internal elements will be modeled after the Multivan. He will get for the first time a plug-in hybrid unit, 218 horsepower. Thus, it will be able to travel in fully electric mode for approximately 48 kilometers. The 150-horsepower 2.0 TDi diesel unit will remain in the program. The CEO of Volkswagen Utilitaires has confirmed that this new California will be unveiled this summer!