Volkswagen Should Sell Its California Campervan in America

In the U.S. market, Volkswagen is synonymous with the idea of a camper van. That remains true despite the fact that VW has not actually offered a van fit for camping here in decades, but other markets actually get a modern camper van built completely and sold directly by Volkswagen. To add insult to injury, the van is called the California.

The latest California, the middle size of three different from-the-factory conversion vans sold in Europe under the California badge, comes with a standard pop-up tent and sliding doors on either side. The base model seats six and offers few other luxuries, but the top Ocean trim is a four-seater with a sizable kitchenette, roof storage, a fresh water tank, an auxiliary air heater, an automatic air conditioner, and a fold-out bed below the main tent. Powertrain options include conventional gas power, a diesel engine, and a plug-in hybrid.

All of that would be expensive on the U.S. market, but it would make the California a formidable competitor for expensive completed conversion vans already popular on the market today. Unlike those conversions, the California also comes with the consistency and certainty of a product built and designed by the manufacturer of the original van.

Just to highlight the price again -- we don't yet have pricing for this newest version but it is not going to be cheap. The existing California starts at a bit over £61,000, or about $77,000 USD. Are Americans prepared to buy a Volkswagen that's twice as expensive as the next-most-priciest thing on the lot? VW doesn't seem to think so.

In the era of SUVs designed from the factory for car camping and van life influencers packing the country's parks and coastlines with expensive Sprinter conversions, there has never been a better time for Volkswagen to re-enter the camping world. That brand cachet is still worth something, even with younger buyers who never lived in a world where VW campers were sold new at dealerships. If the brand wants to cash in and grow its reach with young buyers excited about the idea of a vacation in a van, the California seems like an obvious opportunity to do so.

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