VW Ponders U.S. Market Debut for Crafter Commercial Van

Volkswagen AG’s Commercial Vehicles unit is studying a plan to introduce its next-generation Crafter commercial van to the U.S. market.

Sources tell Automotive News Europe the main question about such a move is whether to assemble the van in the U.S. from kits or pay the market’s 25% tariff on imported light trucks. The van competes in Europe with the Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

VW also has no existing sales network in the U.S. for a commercial van. But ANE notes the company's acquisition in September of a 17% stake in Illinois-based Navistar International Truck and Engine Corp. could offer a distribution solution.

VW is building the new Crafter in the giant factory it opened late last month in Wrzesnia, Poland. The €800 million ($884 million) facility also will build a variant for the carmaker’s MAN commercial truck unit called the MAN TGE. VW says the models eventually will be joined by an all-electric Crafter.

The factory in Poland has capacity to make as many as 100,000 vans per year. That’s double the volume of the previous Crafter, which was co-developed and supplied to VW by Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz Vans unit.

The new Crafter offers a modular architecture and an array of new engines, axles, transmissions and connectivity options.