Unique: Volkswagen Caddy – with natural gas and DSG

• World premiere in Geneva: The Caddy TGI is the first city delivery van equipped with a CNG drive system and a dual-clutch gearbox (DSG)
• Short wheelbase and Maxi versions available ex works
• Quasi-monovalent 1.4 l engine with 81 kW output and taxi-compatible, six-speed DSG
• New Caddy Alltrack also available with a natural gas drive system

Long-range king at Lake Geneva: The Caddy TGI BlueMotion, a family/city delivery van that runs on either CNG or bio-natural gas, is, besides its manual gearbox, now available for the first time with the DSG dual-clutch gearbox, which makes it unique in its segment. Both the panel van and passenger car variant of the Caddy can also be ordered with a short wheelbase or in the Caddy Maxi version.

With combined natural-gas consumption of 4.1 kilograms and 4.3 kg per 100 kilometres (short wheelbase and Caddy Maxi, respectively), Caddy drivers can achieve a range of approximately 630 km, or 860 km, in the pure gas mode. The CO2 emissions of the Caddy TGI amount to 112 g/km in the short-wheelbase version and 116 g/km in the Caddy Maxi version in combination with the six-speed manual gearbox, and 123 g/km* and 126 g/km*, respectively, with DSG (*= provisional data).

The new Caddy and Caddy Maxi TGI BlueMotion are equipped with high-pressure tanks especially designed to hold compressed natural gas. These tanks are mounted under the floor, which means cargo space remains the same – up to 3,200 l in the Caddy and up to 4,130 l in the Caddy Maxi. The models are also equipped with a 13-litre petrol tank. The canister-shaped steel gas tanks are filled with CNG compressed to more than 200 bar. The four underfloor tanks mounted in the Caddy with a short wheelbase hold 26 kilogrammes of natural gas; the Caddy Maxi TGI is equipped with five tanks that hold 37 kilogrammes.

The tanks power a TGI engine with 1.4 litres displacement that fulfils the requirements of the new EU 6 emissions standard. The engine is based on a new TSI petrol unit that was modified to enable the Caddy to run on compressed natural gas. Among other things, the cylinder head, valve train, crank drive, pistons, lines and valves were all adapted to the requirements for a natural-gas drive. The developers also made adjustments to the engine controller, catalytic converter and turbocharger. This natural-gas drive compatibility was taken into account in the early stages of development of the TSI petrol engine series.

Maximum torque of 200 Newton metres (Nm) is produced by the TGI engine in the Caddy between 1,500 and 3,500 rpm. The engine achieves its maximum output of 81 kW or 110 PS at 4,800 – 6,000 rpm. The Caddy TGI as a city delivery van or passenger car has a top speed of 174 km/h with a manual gearbox and 172 km/h with DSG.

Normally, the quasi-monovalent gas drive system in the Caddy TGI BlueMotion only uses the super lead-free fuel from the on-board petrol tank when the engine is started and warmed up at temperatures below minus 10 degree Celsius. However, this petrol mobility reserve can also be used if none of the more than 900 CNG filling stations in Germany or the approximately 4,200 such stations which now operate in Europe happen to be in the immediate vicinity.

The previous model was available as a CNG Caddy under the name Ecofuel, and the TGI engine has been available for ordering with the fourth generation of the Caddy with a manual gearbox since mid-2015. The new Caddy TGI with DSG will arrive at dealerships at the beginning of June 2016. The six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which makes the Caddy suitable for use as a taxi, is unique in the A Segment of city delivery vans with natural-gas drive systems.