VOLKSWAGEN Commercial Vehicles is marking 20 years of the California Beach.

Described as the Swiss army knife of the VW Bus range it is a Multivan-California crossover.

The first generation of this all-rounder was launched in 2005 - originally known as the Multivan Beach and it has been marketed as the California Beach since 2007 with the third generation now on the market.

The production model was preceded by two concept cars that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles presented at Caravan Salon 2004: the California Beach and California Tramper - two camper vans that shared an affinity with the Multivan.

The Beach featured a rail system in the interior floor behind the front seats provided the basis for the camper van's modular design.

This is where the rear bench seat with integrated kitchenette was locked in place, a feature already familiar from the California.

To convert it into a comfortable bed for two people, the two-seater bench was pulled forward with a handle and the backrest folded down. This also converted the bench seat's one-piece backrest into the load compartment cover, designed to be a bed extension.

On the front passenger side, the engineers from Hanover had also integrated a stowage box, which was also equipped with an upholstered surface.

This created a 2,000 mm long bed surface that could comfortably accommodate two people. The bedding and camping accessories were stored in the removable boxes in the storage compartment and rear bench seat.

Also standard were the swivel function in the driver and front passenger seats. As an option, the Beach could be converted into a five-seater vehicle via a rear individual seat that could be integrated on the rail system.

In 2007 Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles renamed the Multivan Beach as the California Beach.

From that moment on, the camper van was available with an optional large pop-up roof including bellows and a 1,200 x 2,000 mm roof bed.

Ten years after the first Beach, the second generation of the California Beach made its debut in summer 2015 based on the extensively enhanced sixth-generation Transporter (T6).

Visually, it was distinguished by its redesigned front end, even more straight lines throughout the rear end as well as new headlights and taillight clusters.

The California Beach also benefited from the new design as well as the new drive, assist and Infotainment systems and a new cockpit landscape.

The California Beach took a huge step forwards in 2019 with the debut of the visually and technically enhanced Transporter, the T6.1.

For the first time, the Beach was now available in two versions: as the Beach Camper with camper van registration and the Beach Tour.

The highlight of the new California Beach Camper equipment package was a new kitchenette.

To use the kitchen, it is simply pulled up and out of the left side panel between the door and rear pillar and folded out. The stainless steel element offered a single-ring gas cooker on the left and a work and storage area on the right.

Another new feature on board all new California models was the brand-new camper control panel with a touchscreen in the roof console. For the first time in a Beach model, this screen enabled users to control all camping-relevant functions such as the electro-hydraulic pop-up roof, the auxiliary heater, the shore power supply or the living area lighting, depending on the equipment.

In addition, the camper control unit contained an electronic spirit level, which could be used to align the California on its parking space so that it sat exactly horizontal.

Other general highlights in the T6.1 included new assist systems such as Cross Wind Assist or Trailer Assist (trailer manoeuvering system) as well as a brand-new dash panel, which could be ordered with digital instruments for the first time.

In 2024, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles launched the California, every last detail of which had been redeveloped.

Since then, it has been based on the long version of the current Multivan - a seventh-generation VW Bus.

The new California will be offered as the Beach, Beach Tour, Beach Camper with a kitchenette in the rear as well as Coast and Ocean versions - the latter of which was equipped with a full kitchen.

The California models based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB) have now become more spacious, smarter, more sophisticated and more versatile.

The California Beach can be temporarily transformed into an electric vehicle with the first new optional plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive, the eHybrid 4MOTION.

The 2025 Beach model range is as follows:

The California Beach is the entry level model in the current range. In design terms, it is essentially a Multivan with a manual pop-up roof.

The California Beach offers six seats (2+2+2). The removable individual seats in the second and third rows are significantly lighter than their counterparts in the predecessor.

Another standard feature is the two beds in the pop-up roof, which can be opened and closed manually.

The second specification level is the which is equipped as standard with rotating and height-adjustable driver and front passenger seats, two camping chairs in the tailgate, a camping table, lighting in the pop-up roof, sliding windows in the left and right sliding doors and a brand new camper van control unit in the rear pillar on the front passenger side.

The California Beach Camper has classic camper van type approval. Like the Beach Tour, it is a five-seater, but is also equipped with an extremely compact mini-kitchen and a 230-volt shore power connection.

The kitchen with single-ring gas cooker, cutlery drawer and additional storage space is located in a permanently installed module in the load compartment. For use, the kitchen unit is pulled out to the rear when the tailgate is open. The rest of the equipment package corresponds to the California Beach Tour.