Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles plots shared 'Space' van platform to reunite its fragmented model range

The Space platform plan

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will reunite its fragmented van range on a new shared modular architecture, according to GoAuto's reporting from Hanover in July 2026. The 'Space' platform is in development to return separately based van models to a common technical basis, reversing a portfolio in which the current Caddy and Multivan use VW's MQB platform, the ID. Buzz sits on MEB, the Transporter cargo van is sourced from Ford, and the Crafter uses another bespoke VW chassis. ²

Speaking with GoAuto, VWCV chief executive Stefan Mecha said: "We have announced this for the next decade that we're going to bring the (Space) platform, where we will amalgamate the different cars that we have today on one platform." He added that Volkswagen needs to "reduce platform complexity" and "bring more volume per vehicle". ²

GoAuto reports Space is expected to bring the next Caddy, Multivan and Transporter families closer together, effectively reversing the separation of passenger and commercial derivatives that followed the retirement of the internally developed T6.1 Transporter. The next-generation Crafter could also use related Space components or technology. GoAuto's reporting does not state that the next Transporter will abandon the Ford-derived basis of the current generation; what form the future Transporter takes remains unconfirmed. ²

Why the current Transporter is Ford-based

The seventh-generation Transporter shares its platform and powertrains with the Ford Transit Custom. CarExpert, drawing on reporting by Autocar in 2023, noted the van would share not only its chassis but also batteries, electric motors, engines and transmissions with the Ford, built at the Ford Otosan plant in Turkey. Then-VWCV boss Carsten Intra told Autocar that VW "cannot afford to build another platform [for the same vehicle]". CarExpert also reported the Transporter would use the Ford infotainment system, potentially with unique graphics, with differentiated styling in the manner of the Ranger-based Amarok. ⁶

In Australia, the MY26 Transporter range launched initially as a panel van with a 125kW/390Nm Ford EcoBlue 2.0-litre turbo-diesel badged TDI, in front- or 4MOTION all-wheel-drive form, plus a rear-wheel-drive eTransporter. GoAuto's review noted the van does not carry the 'T7' chassis code used by the MQB-based Multivan, marking a clear break from the VW-developed T1-to-T6 lineage, and said Volkswagen had significant input into the platform, specification and dynamics as it did with the Amarok. ¹

GoAuto's review also flagged two qualifications for the Ford-based generation: durability questions around the wet belt timing mechanism fitted to the Ford-sourced diesel engines — noting global four-cylinder Amarok and Ford Ranger versions recently swapped away from wet belts, with GoAuto asking Volkswagen whether the Transporter line will follow — and a diesel payload slightly lower than some rivals. These are review observations attributed to GoAuto, not established defects or recalls. ¹

The Australian line-up and its rollout

Volkswagen Australia confirmed in August 2024 that the new Transporter would be offered locally with internal-combustion, battery-electric and plug-in hybrid drivetrains, with product and PR communications manager Daniel DeGasperi telling media it would arrive "about this time next year", as reported by CarExpert. CarExpert's report also detailed the overseas line-up revealed at that time: three turbo-diesel tunes of 81kW, 110kW and 125kW; a 171kW eHybrid PHEV; and, for the electric versions not yet open for order, three confirmed model grades of 100kW, 160kW and 210kW, all featuring a 64kWh battery pack. Globally, CarExpert noted the T7 range spans Kombi, panel van and dropside Transporter body styles plus a nine-seat Caravelle people mover, with a rugged PanAmericana version offered in panel van and Caravelle form. ³

GoAuto reported Volkswagen Group Australia's April 2025 line-up announcement: the Turkey-built Transporter would launch locally in August 2025 with five bodystyles and three powertrains, debuting as a van in 3100mm or 3500mm wheelbases with a claimed 1326kg diesel payload. The e-Transporter was to follow shortly after launch with a 64kWh battery and a 1038kg payload, and a front-wheel-drive PHEV combining a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, electric motor and 16.5kWh battery (169kW/525Nm, 1140kg payload) was slated for the third quarter of 2026. Dual-cab-chassis and Crewvan variants were planned for the first and third quarters of 2026 respectively, with a Caravelle people mover towards the end of 2025. ⁴

There is an unresolved discrepancy over the electric Transporter's battery capacity. CarExpert reported that the Australian EV, twinned with the e-Transit Custom, would "utilise an 83kWh battery, offer 210kW/415Nm, powering the rear wheels only". GoAuto's review, by contrast, lists a 64kWh (net) nickel manganese cobalt pack, and GoAuto's line-up report likewise cites 64kWh. Neither outlet's account resolves the difference, which may reflect gross-versus-usable measurement or differing specifications; the discrepancy remains open on the available reporting. ⁵¹⁴

CarExpert reported Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Karsten Seifert saying the all-three-drivetrain approach reflected differing retail and fleet customer demands, including fleet concern over carbon dioxide emissions. That reporting also cited VWCV sales and marketing executive Lars Krause describing the family as available as a nine-seat Caravelle, panel van or double-cabin van. GoAuto's review cites pricing from $58,590 plus on-road costs for the SWB TDI 125kW FWD base grade, a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and 12-month/30,000km service intervals. ⁵¹

Powertrain and capability figures for Australian buyers

GoAuto's first drive found a refined diesel-and-eight-speed pairing with 6.7L/100km observed over its 50km Sydney launch loop, and an eTransporter with a 64kWh (net) nickel manganese cobalt battery, 210kW/415Nm rear motor, 330km claimed WLTP range, 11kW AC charging and 125kW peak DC charging (10-80 per cent in 38 minutes). Observed consumption of 16.0kWh/100km sat about 15 per cent below the claim. The TDI versions are fitted with a 70-litre diesel fuel tank and claim 886km of range, giving the diesel a substantially longer claimed operating reach than the electric variant. These figures describe the Ford-based generation, not any future Space-based model. ¹

Towing ratings differ sharply by powertrain, a consideration for trade and fleet operators comparing the two. GoAuto's review records the diesel variants as offering the strongest capability, with the TDI rated at 2800kg braked towing and a 112kg tow ball download limit, while the eTransporter is rated to tow 2300kg with a 95kg ball limit. Payload also varies: GoAuto lists 1062kg (SWB) or 1016kg (LWB) for the TDI FWD, 99kg less with AWD, and 806kg or 760kg respectively for the eTransporter. ¹

What Space is expected to change

GoAuto reports the architecture, initially conceived around electric vehicles, is now likely to require flexibility for hybrid derivatives as commercial customers transition more slowly than expected. Alongside Space, VWCV is preparing to relaunch an electric Crafter and add a battery-powered Caddy. Mecha told GoAuto the brand had "concrete and tangible" plans to fill remaining battery-electric gaps, citing "the Crafter as a full electric vehicle, or the Caddy as a full electric vehicle". The previous eCrafter — with a 35kWh battery, 100kW motor and a 173km NEDC range claim that limited it to urban operations — ceased taking orders in 2022; capacity, range and payload for the new version are yet to be disclosed. ²

Timing indications have since firmed. GoAuto's future-models listing carries a headline that the Caddy EV "firms for 2027" and the Crafter EV "in 2029", describing the Caddy as picking up its EV variant late in life ahead of the unified van platform's arrival. GoAuto's Hanover report had left both timing and specifications undisclosed at the time of writing. ⁷²

For the Caddy, GoAuto notes the path is less clear: the current MQB-based model has rarely underpinned BEVs due to packaging issues, and an electric Caddy could either adapt the MEB platform used by the ID. Buzz or wait for the unified Space platform, which GoAuto says should be able to take both BEV and hybrid power. Separately, CarExpert reported that the Ford Transit Connect-based Caddy eHybrid PHEV is "under consideration" for Australia, after Volkswagen said it wanted to be first to sell a small PHEV van here. GoAuto also reports the Hanover plant, previously flagged as possibly endangered under Volkswagen Group consolidation plans, is being readied for production of future Space-platform vans, with infrastructure progressing beyond the planning phase; it currently builds the MQB-based Multivan and MEB-based ID. Buzz after Transporter production moved to Turkey. ²⁵

Emissions pressure and the business case

Mecha told GoAuto that VWCV was still paying "a substantial amount" in penalties under European passenger-vehicle CO2 rules because demand for electric vans and people movers had not developed quickly enough: "It's more also by the market at the moment, which is not demanding enough — in particular, in our segment, in our field — electric vehicles." GoAuto framed the coming electric options as relevant to both Europe and Australia, where fleet-average targets such as those imposed by the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard highlight the lack of electric compact and large van options. ²

GoAuto also reports VWCV assessed whether a petrol range extender could broaden the ID. Buzz's appeal, given United States demand falling well short of an original target exceeding 40,000 units annually. Mecha said the van's proportions and short front overhang made fitting combustion hardware extremely difficult: "Is this a feasible exercise? Probably not … I think from this end, (the ID. Buzz is) an electric vehicle and (it) will stay an electric vehicle." ²

What remains unknown

No Australian availability, timing, pricing or specifications have been confirmed for any Space-based van. GoAuto's reporting contains no confirmed launch timing for the unified platform beyond Mecha's "next decade" framing, and does not establish whether the next Transporter will retain or abandon the Ford-derived basis of the current generation. Battery, range and powertrain details for Space-based vans have not been published, and nothing in the reporting indicates what, if anything, changes for Australian buyers of the current Ford-based Transporter line-up. ²