Autohaus launches new VW campervan at Midsummer Motorhome Event | Motorhome News | Out and About Live.

Autohaus launches new VW campervan at Midsummer Motorhome Event

Posted on 12 Jun 2013

Rachel Stothert

Autohaus Quinte

Autohaus will unveil a new VW camper at the Midsummer Motorhome Show in Exeter this weekend. The new Quinte conversion features a large rear lounge that converts to the massive (larger than a double) bed – a feature that is unrivalled in a compact conversion like this.

This has been achieved by keeping the cab completely separate – the kitchen is fixed to the full wall between the cab and rear. This offers storage as well as the usual hob, sink and fridge. The cab in turn offers three belted seats.

Visit Autohaus on Stand 120 at the show to see it for yourself.

Come along and camp for the whole weekend or benefit from our day visitor offer. Click here for more information

The Kombi Trail tells story of epic travels in a Volkswagen van |.

The Kombi Trail tells story of epic travels in a Volkswagen van

Volkswagen vans are well known for their versatility, desirability and durability by business and leisure customers alike. Proof of this can be found in many places, including a new book, The Kombi Trail: Across Three Continents in a VW Van, which recounts the tale of an endurance test featuring seven students and two Volkswagen vans during an epic gap year trip across the Soviet Union, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa in 1961.

Volkswagen vans are no strangers to travelling long distances, and The Kombi Trail, by Robert Cox, Roger Sherwin and Tony Thompson, is a colourful and fascinating tribute to the Transporter’s longevity and unique status as one of the most iconic vans ever made. This book tells the story of the trip, not just the people they met and the places they saw, but the many experiences – sometimes nerve-wrecking, sometimes bizarre – that they encountered along the way.

The two Kombis doggedly traversed treacherous mountain passes, near-impossible roads, jungle tracks and river crossings on their journey, and in the process the vehicles evolved into near-human friends, always willing, never complaining and often much put upon. Functioning as transport, shelter, canteen and home, the Kombis are as much the characters of the book as the adventurers themselves.

The Transporter has been in production for almost 63 years, with the first people carrier and camping versions introduced shortly after it started production in 1950.

With over 10 million produced, and now in its fifth generation, the Transporter has achieved great success, and is a best-seller for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in the UK, with Transporter, Caravelle people carrier and California campervan customers enjoying the same durability with all today’s latest comforts and efficient engine technology available wherever they go.

Mark Hopkins, Head of Marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: ‘Whether it’s delivering newspapers to Newcastle, honeymooners to Heathrow, or tackling a road trip across Europe, the Transporter (and all its derivatives) has always been, and always will be, the best van for the job.’

The Kombi Trail is published by I B Tauris and is now available at book retailers or from www.ibtauris.com, for around£25.

Find out more about more about the latest Transporter, Caravelle or California, or to find a local Volkswagen Van Centre, use our Van Centre locator or call 0800 717131.

VW California | Volkswagen Vans and Commercial Vehicles (UK).

California

The camper van that’s complete with fully functional kitchen and room to sleep up to four adults comfortably

From £44,360 OTR* incl VAT †

The Volkswagen California celebrates its 25 year anniversary

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Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is celebrating the 25th birthday of the Volkswagen California. The vehicle’s production figures are fitting for an anniversary: around 100,000 California camper vans have come off the assembly line over the past 25 years.

The California was launched when air travel was expensive, tents were a bit out of vogue, and hence a camping holiday in a camper van experienced its greatest boom in the 1980s. As in years before, visiting and exploring Southern Europe was the primary attraction – but no longer with a tent, towed camper, car or train, but with a camper van purchased especially for this purpose. This led to an entirely new type of touring holidays offering greater individual freedom – two days here, three days there. For Volkswagen, this was reason enough to put its own camper van on wheels: the California.

The idea was not entirely new. For a long time, Westfalia had been building a camper van named the Joker, which was based on the Volkswagen Transporter. The basic layout of this custom camper van proved to be very practical over the years. A folding bench seat for two persons at the rear, which could be laid flat for reclining, and a narrow kitchen counter along the left side of the interior with a refrigerator, gas stove and sink and storage space. This type of layout leaves a large space for entry through a wide sliding door. However, the Joker with its well-conceived detailed layout and many small extras had become unaffordable for the average customer. And this is precisely where Volkswagen stepped in. With a thick red pencil and an eye towards significantly higher production volumes, designers trimmed the features of the Joker down to a healthy level.

This set the stage for an entire generation of California camper vans. Unlike high-roof models and those with a long wheelbase, the California featured a pop-top roof that articulated at the rear over all of its years and generations. The first California was based on the T3 generation, followed by the T4 and today’s T5.

The latest California is now available in the UK in two specifications, the Beach and SE. The Beach offers up to seven seats and a pop-up roof with a second double bed, and is available from £35,360. The SE has a higher specification with four seats, a kitchen with cooker and sink, fresh and waste water tanks, plus an electrically operated pop-up roof, with prices starting from£44,360.

Explore the California
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