Crucial PHEVs arriving for VW vans in 2026

VOLKSWAGEN'S Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) division in Australia will launch three plug-in hybrid (PHEV) van options locally in 2026, creating much-needed headroom under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) to continue selling as many non-hybrid Amaroks as possible.

The NVES regime sees auto-makers penalised or rewarded based on their overall fleet-average CO2. With the rules tightening from 2025-2029, the rules push distributors to rapidly increase the proportion of PHEV and battery electric vehicles (BEV) as part of the overall sales mix.

“We don’t want to be passing on (NVES) fines to customers – hence our diversified portfolio from a drivetrain point of view,” VWCV brand director Nathan Johnson told GoAuto.

“We see a massive opportunity to be self-sustainable (under NVES) while offering the right car to the right customer. There is a huge opportunity for us to really stand out in the next couple of years within our portfolio.”

VWCV is already selling the ID. Buzz BEV van in relatively modest numbers locally, and it has just added a slightly larger BEV eTransporter to the mix.

However, the incoming PHEVs – which combine a conventionally-fuelled petrol engine with a battery to allow a degree of electric driving range and to reduce both official and real-world emissions – will be an easier sell to some fleets.

PHEV powertrains will be added to the Caddy small van and Multivan people mover line-ups in the second half of 2026, while the recently launched Transporter mid-size cargo van will score a PHEV by October next year.

With rated CO2 emissions of just 15g/km (Caddy), 18g/km (Multivan) and 38g/km (Transporter), the trio of eHybrid PHEVs should help VWCV drag down its fleet-average CO2 to well beneath headline NVES limits legislated to fall from 180g/km in 2026 to 110g/km in 2029.

If VWCV can migrate enough customers into PHEV or BEV vans, it will be in a position to continue selling thousands of diesel- and petrol-fuelled Amarok utes which produce between 189-222g/km CO2 depending on engine.

With no BEV or PHEV powertrain on the horizon for Amarok, the success of the plug-in van options will be crucial to Mr Johnson’s intention that VWCV be NVES self-sufficient.

“There is no doubt we will continue to sell Amaroks as strongly as possible. A balanced portfolio is what we are talking about, and we have the powertrain levers to be able to deliver that,” said Volkswagen acting general manager of corporate communications Daniel DeGasperi.

“The (extent of that advantage) might not be apparent right now, or even next year, but as we go on to 2030, it will be apparent.”

In Europe, PHEV powertrains have secured only a single-digit percentage of van sales, but petrol-electric drivetrains are widely perceived to be a critical bridging technology for commercial vehicles.

While fleets can realise significant total cost of ownership (TCO) reductions by charging up PHEVs off-shift, operators are not inconvenienced when the battery runs out. All Volkswagen-badged PHEV vans can drive for around 500km on petrol power alone.

Coming to Australia in the second half of 2026, the Caddy eHybrid combines an 85kW 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with an 85kW electric motor and 19.7kWh (usable) battery for combined 110kW/350Nm outputs and 100km electric-only range.

VWCV head of marketing and product Michelle Rowney said the Caddy PHEV, which offers between 3.1-3.7m³ of cargo space, “is the perfect solution for urban deliveries and sustainability-conscious fleets”.

While the Caddy eHybrid model will be sold in passenger and cargo variants, Volkswagen has split out its mid-size vans into two distinct vehicles: the people-ferrying Multivan, based on Volkswagen’s MQB Evo platform, and the cargo-carrier Transporter, which shares the Ford Transit Custom’s Pro Platform.

The Multivan eHybrid is a more powerful option, combining a 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol with two e-motors for AWD – 85kW front, 100kW rear – for 180kW/350Nm combined outputs. Sharing the Caddy’s 19.7kWh battery, the Multivan is claimed to travel 94km on electric power alone.

By contrast, the Transporter eHybrid uses an 86kW/205Nm 2.5-litre Ford-built petrol engine, a 111kW/320Nm e-motor and relatively small 11.8kWh battery for 54km electric range (WLTP). Power can be discharged for running tools or other appliances at up to 2.3kW.

VWCV has not yet confirmed which specifications of Transporter will be offered with the PHEV, but its Transit Custom PHEV cousin is sold in both SWB and LWB formats with 5.2m³ and 6.0m³ of cargo room respectively.

While the eTransporter BEV is rear-driven, TDI diesel versions are front-wheel drive (with optional AWD). The PHEV will be FWD-only.