A Fast Start for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – May 24, 2010: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is celebrating a successful start to 2010 by already winning three awards and increasing its market share by 2.4 per cent to 10.4 per cent to the end of April compared to the same period last year, with almost as many vans sold in March alone than the whole of the first quarter last year.

Less than six months since its launch in January, the new Volkswagen Transporter, with a new look and more powerful, fuel-efficient and refined Euro5 TDI engines, has already won two awards, while Volkswagen’s third award was won by its largest van model, the Crafter.

The two awards for the new Transporter, which also celebrated 60 years of production in February, are Best Medium Van in the Van Fleet World 2010 Honours, and as the Standard Panel Van category winner in the iVan Awards 2010.

Van Fleet World magazine’s judging panel included an assessment of maintenance costs and reliability and residual value data for the new Transporter. The magazine’s editor, John Kendall, concluded: ‘A good van before and now even better after the extensive revisions. A fine range of engines, great build quality and better to drive than before. The latest Volkswagen Transporter has a lot going for it.’

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles was also pleased to receive a second award in the Van Fleet World 2010 honours when for the fourth year running the Volkswagen Crafter was awarded the title of Best Large Van.

Commenting on the Crafter’s record achievement, Editor John Kendall said: ‘The Crafter has taken this award for the last few years and now with Euro5 engines out in the past year, it does much to consolidate the van’s position. The Crafter range has much to offer on all counts. Not surprisingly, they have become firm fleet favourites.’

Simon Elliott, Director, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said: ‘We are really pleased that the new Transporter is already proving to be so highly valued by both the fleet experts judging these awards, and our customers – and for the Crafter to win Best Large Van for the fourth year running proves that it’s hard to beat.’