Photo: Volkswagen
At the 2016 edition of the IAA Commercial Vehicles, Volkswagen will unveil the next-generation Crafter light commercial vehicle in the flesh. Until that moment comes, these teasers will have to do.
The current Volkswagen Crafter, as I’m sure you know, has been around since 2006. Built with similar underpinnings as the ones Mercedes-Benz uses for its Sprinter, the Crafter has outstayed its welcome. Hence, something had to be done considering that the Crafter’s main competitors are much younger.
Does the 2017 Volkswagen Crafter have what it takes to reclaim its place at the forefront of the European light commercial vehicle market? Well, first impressions are good, really good.
The exterior design, for example, mirrors that of the sixth-generation Transporter from head to toe. Only the rear doors and taillights graphic break the visual norm introduced by the T6 Transporter. Thanks to a best-in-class drag coefficient of Cd 0.33, the 2017 Volkswagen Crafter promises to go further on a tank of fuel.
"In the commercial vehicle sector especially, design has got to work for lots of different customer groups,” explains Albert-Johann Kirzinger, head of design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “With the Crafter, a level of surface quality, robustness and at the same time high qualitative value are achieved that have never before been available in this commercial vehicle class,” added the Volkswagen official.
Technical specifications of the all-new Crafter are still a mystery, but two things are sure. One: the chassis is pure Volkswagen, not Mercedes-Benz; Two: the all-new-for 2017 Volkswagen Crafter is expected to gain the 3.0 TDI V6 that made its debut in the 2017 Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck. If my assumption is correct, look forward to as much as 224 PS (221 hp) and 550 Nm (367 lb-ft) of torque from the six-banger.
According to the German automaker, the new Crafter will be made in Poland. "For that purpose, a new plant will be opened in Wrzesnia, Wielkopolska. The plant's production will be launched in the second half of 2016.”
Does the 2017 Volkswagen Crafter have what it takes to reclaim its place at the forefront of the European light commercial vehicle market? Well, first impressions are good, really good.
The exterior design, for example, mirrors that of the sixth-generation Transporter from head to toe. Only the rear doors and taillights graphic break the visual norm introduced by the T6 Transporter. Thanks to a best-in-class drag coefficient of Cd 0.33, the 2017 Volkswagen Crafter promises to go further on a tank of fuel.
"In the commercial vehicle sector especially, design has got to work for lots of different customer groups,” explains Albert-Johann Kirzinger, head of design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “With the Crafter, a level of surface quality, robustness and at the same time high qualitative value are achieved that have never before been available in this commercial vehicle class,” added the Volkswagen official.
Technical specifications of the all-new Crafter are still a mystery, but two things are sure. One: the chassis is pure Volkswagen, not Mercedes-Benz; Two: the all-new-for 2017 Volkswagen Crafter is expected to gain the 3.0 TDI V6 that made its debut in the 2017 Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck. If my assumption is correct, look forward to as much as 224 PS (221 hp) and 550 Nm (367 lb-ft) of torque from the six-banger.
According to the German automaker, the new Crafter will be made in Poland. "For that purpose, a new plant will be opened in Wrzesnia, Wielkopolska. The plant's production will be launched in the second half of 2016.”
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