Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has premiered the new Caddy TGI BlueMotion at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show. The range of engines on offer include a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) version specially modified for natural gas fuel. Powered by either CNG or RNG (biomethane or renewable natural gas) the new caddy also comes with options of a five- or six-speed manual gearbox or, for the first time for this segment, a six-speed direct shift gearbox (DSG).
Like previous models, both the panel van and passenger car variant of the Caddy are available with a short or “Maxi” wheelbase. The Caddy has cargo capacity of up to 3,200 litres and the Caddy Maxi extends space to 4,130 litres.
TGI Engine
The TGI engine consumes both (CNG, biomethane) and petrol, and starts up in the more cost-efficient CNG-mode when the tanks are full. The 4 cylinder in-line engine with 1.4 l cylinder capacity, a 81 kW output and 200 nm of torque is available for all equipment lines of the Caddy and the Caddy Maxi.
Caddy and Caddy Maxi specifications:
- 1.4 l TGI engine with 81 kW (110 PS)
- fuel consumption in kg/100 km (m3/100 km): urban from 5.3 to 5.2 (8.1 to 7.9), extra-urban from 3.6 to 3.5 (5.6 to 5.4), combined from 4.3 to 4.1 (6.5 to 6.3).
- CO₂ emission in g/km: combined from 116 to 112.
- Efficiency class: A to A+.
- Top speed exceeeds 170 km/h.
Extrapolated from the above specs, the low fuel consumption enables operating ranges of approximately 630 km or 860 km on CNG alone for the Caddy and Caddy Maxi respectively. Emissions specs for the Euro 6 rated 1400 cc engine are 112 g/km CO2 for the shorter Caddy and 116 g/km CO2 for the Caddy Maxi using the manual gearbox, and approximately 123 g/km and 126 g/km respectively with DSG.
Gas Storage
The heat-resistant, steel CNG tanks have valves with triple protection, and are fixed to the vehicle floor by special tensioning straps. The tanks have a total capacity of 26 kg (4 tanks) of natural gas for the Caddy TGI BlueMotion, and 37 kg (5 tanks) for the Caddy Maxi TGI BlueMotion.
Depending on specifications and model, the Caddy TGI sells between EUR 21.0 k and 25.5 k (USD 23-1 – 28.1 k) and will be available from German dealerships mid-2016 and other countries thereafter.
The DSG-equipped (auto transmission) Caddy passenger vehicle appears well suited for the European taxi market, particularly where refuelling infrastructure is increasingly available, such as Germany, Netherlands and Italy. The passenger version of the Caddy Maxi TGI BlueMotion has three rows of seats and can carry 7 people, with a cargo volume of 530 liters (18.7 cu-ft).
(Source: Volkswagen)
