ABT gives the Volkswagen Multivan and California a new look
1/24
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and ABT Sportsline are expanding their partnership with new ABT Multivan and ABT California versions. Both receive a more aggressive aerodynamic package, 20-inch wheels and, optionally, suspension lowered by 30 mm. Ordering in Germany will begin in autumn 2026 directly through Volkswagen’s configurator.
The ABT package will be available directly through Volkswagen
The most important difference from a conventional tuning package lies in the purchasing process. Anyone ordering a new Multivan or California will be able to select the ABT package in Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ official configurator and include it in the lease. The same equipment can later be fitted to an existing vehicle through ABT.
Visually, ABT adds a new front spoiler with additional air intakes, gloss-black side extensions and a new rear diffuser. The standard package includes 20-inch black ABT Halo wheels, whose polished surfaces give the large Volkswagen a considerably more assertive appearance.
Optionally, ABT lowers the vehicle’s ground clearance by 30 mm. For the Multivan, this is a logical addition, as a lower centre of gravity and reduced body roll can improve the handling of a large family vehicle. With the California, the other side must be considered: the camper’s ground clearance is reduced, and that is not necessarily an advantage on poorer roads.
More power must be ordered separately
However, the basic package does not automatically mean a more powerful engine. ABT offers its ABT Power performance upgrade separately, but has not yet published specific power or torque figures for the new Multivan and California packages. There is therefore no reason to talk about a new Multivan GTI or a California sports model.
Rather, this is a joint response from Volkswagen and ABT to customers who want a practical Bulli but do not want it to look like a hotel transfer bus.
The Multivan is surprisingly well suited to this kind of treatment. The current T7 uses the MQB architecture, meaning that technically it is much closer to passenger cars than the old Transporter-based Multivans. Volkswagen launched the T7 as a plug-in hybrid, increasingly setting it apart from the classic commercial vehicle.
The idea is somewhat more contradictory in the case of the California
For California buyers, the value of the ABT package is more aesthetic. A camper’s main task is to provide space and practicality, not to attack corners on 20-inch wheels.
At the same time, buyers of luxury campers have long since ceased to be only people who want to get to a campsite as cheaply as possible. The California is a lifestyle product in Europe, and that is precisely the market ABT is targeting with its package.
Technically, the most interesting aspect remains the possibility of combining the factory-orderable appearance package with ABT’s own power and chassis upgrades. This allows customers to choose whether they simply want a sharper-looking Multivan or wish to take the tuning considerably further.
ABT has been tuning Volkswagen vans for decades. What is new is how closely Volkswagen is now integrating it into the official sales process. The ABT package is effectively moving from the tuning company’s catalogue to Volkswagen’s options list.
