New spy photographs of Volkswagen's all-new T7 van have surfaced. Here's what we know so far about the next-gen VW bus.

Picture credit:S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.

Back in June 2020, spy shots of an all-newT7bus (dressed in heavy camouflage)tackling the infamous Nurburgring track emerged, which was an odd sight but its a great test of not just engine and performance, but brakes, suspension, ride quality and much more.

At the time, the side rear windows were covered up which implied that VW was putting thepanel van derivative through its paces. What's more, is that a well-disguised charging port on the front right fender indicates that a plug-in hybrid is on the cards.

Now, however, these latest spy shots show the passenger version of the new T7almost undisguised, giving us a good idea of what to expect in terms of styling. It's expected that thepanel van version will be revealed and launched alongside the passenger-focused Caravelle.

A plug-in hybrid would give the Volkswagen T7 an advantage as it would be able to travel in a pure-electric mode for a few kilometres. With many European cities banning internal combustion engine cars, having some form of emissions-free capability helps immensely. As far as engines go, the Volkswagen Group has plenty of electrified powertrains to fall back on. We suspect something like the turbocharged petrol 4-cylinder mated to an electric system would be a winner. If you're wanting petrol and diesel, we're pretty confident Volkswagen will be offering such along with the electrified options.

It's worth noting we're unlikely to see an all-electric Caravelle as Volkswagen has promised it will make a production version of the ID Buzz all-electric minivan. We expect the new Volkswagen T7 to be revealed before the end of 2020.

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