2016 Volkswagen Caddy revealed

The fourth-generation Caddy will go on sale in Germany at the end of June before rolling out into other international markets from the second half of the year, including Australia in the final quarter of 2015.

The new model comes 11 years after the introduction of its predecessor, the Caddy ‘Typ 2K’, which launched in 2004 and was updated in 2010, and found almost 1.5 million homes around the world throughout its life.

Rather than adopting Volkswagen’s ubiquitous MQB platform, the fourth-gen Caddy is based on a revised version of the previous model’s PQ35 underpinnings, which it shares with the likes of the Beetle, Jetta, Scirocco and Tiguan.

The exterior borrows heavily from the smaller Polo and Golf, gaining a larger front grille with a more prominent VW badge, a more stylised bumper and lower fascia, squarer tail-lights and sharper tailgate lines, while the overhauled interior places an emphasis on horizontal lines and upgrades to a new infotainment system, fresh switchgear, a new steering wheel, and higher quality materials throughout.

Volkswagen has only released limited technical details of the new Caddy at this stage, though has confirmed that under the bonnet sits a range of Euro 6-compliant turbocharged petrol and diesel engines.

The four 2.0-litre four-cylinder TDI diesel units range in power from 55kW to 110kW, while the petrol range includes three distinct TSI powerplants: 62kW 1.2-litre four-cylinder, 75kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder, and 92kW 1.4-litre four-cylinder.

Volkswagen claims the 2016 Caddy will be the first vehicle in the urban van segment with a number of driver assistance systems, such as city emergency braking, which automatically applies the brakes to avoid a collision or lessen its severity at speeds below 30km/h, adaptive cruise control, which is operational up to 160km/h, and light assist and driver alert systems.

Other available tech features include satellite navigation, reverse-view camera, and semi-automated reverse parallel and rear-to-kerb parking.

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