Now on order: VW California

The Beach is priced between £37,657 and £41,515 and features a pop-up elevating roof and basic furniture that converts into a bed. The Ocean, formerly called the California SE, starts at £47,840 and peaks at £54,975. This features a complete kitchen, a 42-litre fridge and an automatic elevating roof.

Improvements to the new Transporter, including a Driver Alert system that monitors driver behaviour and recommends a break when needed, are carried through to the camper. There is also a new infotainment platform, optional adaptive suspension (a first), and new engines with efficiency increases of up to 15%. These include three 2.0 TDI versions developing, respectively, 101bhp, 148bhp and 201bhp. There are also four-wheel drive and DSG automatic options.

New safety equipment includes Brake Assist, which optimises braking efficiency by monitoring the speed of brake pedal application, and the Post-Collision Braking System, which slows the vehicle after an accident to prevent follow-up collisions.

The California is unique in that it’s the only factory-built camper van on the market. Over 100,000 have been sold since it was brought out in 1988.