Vans can come in many forms and Volkswagen know this only too well. But by its own admittance, it had not been active enough in the conversion sector. All that, however, is about to change, with the advent of a re-vamped VW van that is ripe for conversion.
Volkswagen’s renewed push into this lucrative area of the market will come about as they launch the new version of the VW Crafter, a van that first appeared in 2006 as a replacement to the Volkswagen LT and in order to compete with more established vans such as the Renault Master, the Iveco Daily and the Ford Transit. Its conversion potential has seen it made into vehicles such as recycling collection trucks.
For those unfamiliar with the term ‘conversion’, it is simply a van that has been modified for a more specialised purpose than just carting things around.
Around 90% of Crafter conversions are accounted for by tipper, dropside and Luton-bodied versions of the popular vehicle. Under the new Engineered-to-go branding, VW will now be manufacturing all three as factory-builds. The other 10% of conversions – which are more specialised – will be carried out by accredited converters that are able to deal with more bespoke conversions.
The firms carrying out this additional, more specialised converting have been selected carefully by Volkswagen – by looking at aspects such as quality, warranty and aftersales care. While having van breakdown cover will undoubtedly help ease the mind of a bespoke conversion buyer, the fact that VW are putting their name behind these conversions specialists should provide further assurance.