VW Caddy Life Spied with 4WD?

The work of a spy photographer can be tricky, sometimes. If you think otherwise, check out the pictures on this page and tell us what it is. It seems to be an ordinary VW Caddy Life, but why would it be undergoing tests in north Scandinavia? When we checked underneath the vehicle, we found out it is a 4WD people mover, but why does it have a solid rear axel? Maybe because it is not a VW Caddy after all.

Solid rear axles are common in commercial vehicles with longitudinally mounted engines. The case is that VW Caddy Life is not a commercial vehicle, nor it has a longitudinally mounted engine. The only vehicle that would fit these characteristics in Volkswagen’s world current range would be the VW Saveiro, a small pickup truck derived from the Gol, both produced in Brazil. Consumers are long waiting for a 4x4 version of these little pickup trucks, but this is not a commom offer in this market segment. At least not until now.

Our best guess is that this 4x4 system with a solid rear axel will be used in a low-cost commercial vehicle for emerging markets, perhaps the new Saveiro or even an opponent to the Ford EcoSport, a small SUV based on the current Ford Fiesta’s architecture.

The next generation Gol, internally called NF (New Family), will use the current Polo’s platform, as well as the vehicles derived from it (sedan, station wagon, pickup truck and a little SUV). Since the Caddy has once used Polo’s platform, its body could now be serving as a disguise for the tests of this architecture in the other applications it will be needed for, such as in a small SUV or in a small pickup truck. We will have to wait to be sure, but solid rear axels really won’t fit the Caddy. If they will ever be used, it will surely be in something else.