Volkswagen didn’t become a camper van icon all on its own. It took the good folks at Westfalia to make that happen. Will the next legendary Volkswagen camper van come from another company outside VW Group? It’s too early to say, but Volkswagen is giving those companies a leg up with its latest Multivan offering. The new van comes with an available plug-in hybrid powertrain, a cockpit, a few RV basics and a whole lot of nothing else. It’s an empty shell built to spark the creative minds of the existing conversion establishment and upstarts of the future.
Volkswagen has plenty to keep it busy in terms of building its in-house camper vans of the official California sub-brand, but it still wants to ensure it’s selling plenty of fleet vans, too. So just days after releasing a split-in-half bus that struck us as the ultimate anti-camper van, VW Commercial Vehicles has debuted something of the direct opposite: a base van destined only to become a camper.
Called simply the Multivan Camper and introduced to the UK market this week, the new commercial offering is aimed squarely at conversion businesses, giving them a faster, easier way of going from factory base van to fully equipped camper van. Volkswagen puts its decades of California camper manufacturing to work in offering a Multivan with pop-up roof, swivel driver and front passenger seats, and a trimmed but empty rear cabin – no rear seats or floor covering over the bare metal.
The idea is that conversion shops can optimize their time developing and installing camper floor plans without having to worry about changing out the roof, swapping in swivel seats or removing rear seats that aren’t compatible with their design. The roof also comes with an interior headliner.
One aspect of the Multivan Camper that might not work as well for converters is the standard dual sliding door package. While this can create a breezier, more versatile floor plan, as it does for the new Multivan-based California, it also threatens to block one door entry with the ugly backside of a kitchen block. This might make companies rethink the classic driver-side kitchen/folding rear bench layout very common in midsize vans.
Or it might not. Instead, it might just mean letting that door get blocked by the kitchen, as is the case in one of the very first converted Multivan Campers: the Hillside MVX, currently making its debut at this weekend’s 2026 Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show in Birmingham, UK.
Hillsdale Leisure
The MVX has sliding doors on both sides, but interior photos show that Hillside has essentially built the kitchen block clean across the driver’s side sliding door entry. Surprisingly, though the camper has a centralized single-burner stove that looks like it could be accessed from the outside (possibly needing a step stool for proper height), Hillside places a backsplash behind it, impeding safe, comfortable outdoor use.
We suppose that isn’t ultimately a big deal for those used to older Californias or other camper vans with a single sliding door, but it just feels a little half-baked.
Hillside Leisure
On the other hand, Hillside’s overall conversion work makes it clear why VW is trying to kickstart third-party Multivan conversions. The MVX may lack the indoor/outdoor versatility of VW’s own California, but it provides an intriguing alternative with an ambiance elevated by the long, sleek side kitchen, wood-style trim and generous amount of ambient lighting, including under the edges of the furniture.
You can take a closer look at the MVX in the introductory video clip. Hillside’s new camper van starts at £70,995 (approx. US$95,700) when equipped with the 148-hp TDI engine and seven-speed DSG automatic or £78,995 ($106,475) with the 242-hp plug-in eHybrid 4Motion all-wheel drive.
Meet the new Hillside MVX, built on the Volkswagen Multivan
As for the Multivan Camper, Volkswagen is offering it to businesses for a base price of £52,680 ($71,000) for the 148-hp TDI and £60,870 ($82,050) for the eHybrid 4Motion, both prices after VAT. The Camper base is available exclusively in long-wheelbase form, which measures 204 in (517 cm) in total van length. Options include triple-zone climate control, satellite navigation and heated front seats. The new van comes with incomplete M1 passenger car homologation, requiring a second stage approval after conversion.
Source: Volkswagen and Hillside Leisure
