Fleet Transport June 2020

MILESTONE | 61
In the late 1980s, the LT took part in the rally from Paris to Dakar. The Crafter would
return in 2012 as a support vehicle.
The LT2 was produced from 1996 to 2006.
Mercedes-Benz, the LT2 featured diesel engines fitted lengthways
under a short bonnet, a lower door for easy entry and the option of
getting into the load bay or passenger compartment between the
front seats.
It lost none of its versatility, with customers able to choose between
a panel van, station wagon, bus, platform, double cab and chassis
with three wheelbases, and weight options between 2.6t and 4.6t.
The TDI engines were another selling point, providing economical,
powerful and reliable performance. In 2002, the LT2 got the new
2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel, delivering 158PS, a record for the
sector, and maximum torque of 331Nm.
Production at the Stöcken plant in Hanover ended in 2006 after
almost 340,000 LT2s had been built there.
The Crafter: 2006-2016
Total worldwide sales: 480,000
The Crafter name was first introduced in 2006 and with it came
a complete overhaul of the LT model which still maintained the
elements that had made the van a best-seller. The name was chosen
to stand for “someone who helps”, with the Crafter designed to make
life easier in everyday work and life.
The most spectacular variant of the third-generation model was the
2012 Crafter 4MOTION with all-wheel drive. The vehicle was fully
equipped with a raised ride height, off-road tyres and a full underride
guard. The Crafter 4MOTION demonstrated its credentials
as a support vehicle at the Dakar Rally in 2012.
For 10 years, the Crafter was produced in a wide variety of variants
- box, station wagon, bus, platform, double cab and chassis – with
over 480,000 units sold.
The new Crafter: 2016-
Total worldwide sales: 260,000 (end 2019)
The current Crafter was revealed in 2016 and was a completely new
model built from the ground up by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
engineers. It was designed in partnership with customers, with
specialists spending time with drivers in their everyday life to find
out how they used their vans and what they required from them.
The result is probably the best and most diverse vehicle in the segment.
The Crafter was available with front, rear or all-wheel drive for the
first time, class-leading handling and an unprecedented number of
safety and driver assistance systems. It received the title of “Van of
the Year 2017” from the international jury of commercial vehicle
journalists from 24 European countries, confirming its status as
the benchmark of the sector.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles continued the model’s heritage
in the motorhome market with the reveal of the Grand California
in 2018 while an ell-electric eCrafter was also developed. By the end
of 2019, almost 260,000 had been produced at the Crafter plant in
Wrzesnia, Poland.
The third-generation debuted the Crafter name and was produced between 2006 and
2016.
Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie
The eCrafter from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
www.fleet.ie