VW Crafter History of German van

Volkswagen Crafter is a delivery van which is a natural successor of vans signed with the German brand. Technological and engineering progress made the VW LT a severely outdated design in comparison with vehicles offered by competitors. It was therefore decided to create a new delivery van with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes. A team of people were responsible for the design of the first generation Crafter, although Laurent Boulay is regarded as the main designer. The brief was simple: reduced drag coefficient, contemporary body design, robust engines and improved safety systems. The VW Crafter is a twin to the second generation Mercedes Sprinter, created in collaboration between VAG and Daimler AG.

Volkswagen Crafter 2006

The debut of the VW Crafter

The first presentation of the Volkswagen Crafter I took place at the 2006 van show. Mass production of the van took place at the German plant in Düsseldorf, where the first generation of the Mercedes Sprinter had previously been produced. Initially, the vehicle was only offered with a renewed 2.5 TDI power unit, which was characterised by high turbine failure rates. Therefore, the engine underwent further modifications in 2010, which persisted until the introduction of the Blue TDI power unit. The VW Crafter I was available in three body lengths. Standard equipment included front airbags and ABS. Customers could also purchase additional equipment such as side airbags, ESP, ASR and electronic differential lock (which was not a differential lock at all).