It has been an exciting week for Volkswagen and Iveco as they have both released details of their latest concept vans.

We wonder how many concept vans actually make it off the drawing board and into production? It’s probably not that many and we hope that these two innovative models make it out into the real world.

Volkswagen’s Tristar Concept

The Volkswagen Tristar is an interesting design, it utilises both flexible storage solutions plus extreme off-road capabilities. The vehicle appears to be based on VW’s current T series model and looks like it would fit into the Transporter line-up comfortably.

The Tristar is a pick-up which has an extended cab, a short wheelbase and styling bar. The concept vehicle has four-wheel drive that is permanently ‘on’ - with a mechanical rear axle differential lock, plus an additional 30mm ground clearance.



Volkswagen has given some thought to the cargo placement with two separate levels for holding your goods. There is a watertight, dustproof container under the flatbed area which is also where the spare tire is kept.

The interior has a 20” tablet table on a swivel pole between the seats, plus a high tech sound system and video conferencing set-up. The driver and passenger seats can turn and slide on mounted rails for added ease of use, oh and there is even an espresso machine installed!

Iveco VISION Concept

Originally shown at the International Motor Show of Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, Germany, the Iveco VISION is being hailed as a ‘cutting-edge’ hybrid delivery vehicle.

Iveco has said that this vehicle would be, “ideal for door-to-door delivery missions”. The VISION concept would be running from a ‘Dual Energy’ hybrid powertrain. This would mean that the VISION would be running on electric motor for urban journeys and in hybrid mode for longer journeys, Iveco claim that overall this would reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 25 per cent.

Iveco has also paid special attention to the loadbay which makes sense as this is essentially a delivery vehicle. There are sensors which connect to a load management system to identify goods and indicate where they should be stored in the cargo hold for safety reasons and to prevent damage during transit – that sounds pretty smart to us.

We really like the concepts that Volkswagen and Iveco have produced and think that this smarter way of thinking is a great asset to the future van market.