Factory code: Type 14D Light commercial vehicle
In 1982, Volkswagen introduces the Caddy, a compact commercial vehicle based on the Golf I for the German and European markets. At this time, the Caddy has already undergone a three-year trial run in the United States under a different name: manufactured at the Volkswagen plant in Westmoreland, it is launched in the United States in 1979 under the name Rabbit.
Impressed by this transcontinental sales success, Volkswagen decides to offer the car as the Caddy ("shopping trolley") in Europe, with minor modifications. The front of the vehicle is slightly modified to use parts from the Golf I (grille and headlights). The Caddy is produced at the Sarajevo car factory (Tvornica Automobila Sarajevo/TAS) in the former Yugoslavia.
Up to the B-pillar, the American Rabbit and the European Caddy are largely identical to the VW Golf I. But then the changes begin: the Caddy is 0.55 metres longer to provide a large loading area, and the wheelbase is extended to 2.62 metres. The loading area is 1.83 metres long and 1.30 metres wide.
There are various body variants, including an open pickup version, a tarpaulin body (volume 2.95 cubic metres), and a hardtop made of GRP-reinforced plastic (volume 2.65 cubic metres). Numerous special bodies can be ordered, from campers to compactor bins.
The high payload of 625 kilograms requires a redesign of the rear axle: instead of coil springs, longitudinal leaf springs are used, and the shock absorbers are now arranged asymmetrically.
The VW Caddy has three engines from the Golf range: those who place the emphasis on optimum economy choose the 1.6-litre diesel engine with 40 kW (54 PS). The 1.6-litre petrol engine with 55 kW (75 PS) and the 1.8-litre petrol engine with 70 kW (95 PS) are astonishingly lively thanks to their good power-to-weight ratio (the kerb weight is only 1,000 kilograms).
