The Caddy Maxi Life features two rows of seats in the passenger compartment and offers a cargo volume of up to 530 litres. If necessary, both rows of seats can be removed entirely, extending storage volume to up to 3,700 litres.

The payload for the Caddy Maxi panel van, including the driver, is up to 1,005 kg. The model's new engines are Euro 6 compliant, with the three TDI diesel versions offering 75 PS, 102 PS or 150PS.

Safety systems include ‘Front Assist’ surroundings monitoring system, including City Emergency Braking. This means that if the driver fails to see an obstacle below a speed of 19mph, the system automatically applies the brakes, aiming to prevent any collisions. In the passenger carrying versions, occupants are protected with side and curtain airbags.

Approximately 22% of all accidents involving injuries are collisions with more than one obstacle. In order to minimise the risk related to this scenario, the ‘Multi-collision Brake System’ is included as standard in the new Caddy and Caddy Maxi. After a collision, it automatically initiates braking if the driver is no longer able to take action.

Other available options are the ‘Light Assist’ and ‘Driver Alert’ systems. The latter recognises any deviations from normal driving behaviour and recommends to the driver when a break is necessary. Also available is the option of a heated windscreen, which helps to ensure visibility regardless of the weather.

For the first time on Caddy there is also the option of ‘Adaptive Cruise Control’ (ACC), which is activated at speeds of 0-100 mph and uses a radar sensor to monitor the distance and relative speed to vehicles in front.

The optional ‘Park Assist’ system enables automated parallel parking as well as parking at right-angles to the carriageway – a feature that Volkswagen says will be especially useful for courier services.

The new Caddy and Caddy Maxi will be launched in Germany at the end of June and will be gradually rolled out to other markets.