Volkswagen renews the Crafter
Volkswagen is preparing to renew Crafter, the largest of the van family. Our spy photographers caught the new Crafter on camera for the first time and allowed us to see the changes in the interior.
The instrument panel of the test vehicle is hidden by dense overlays. However, our photographer caught the Crafter on a test break and the driver left the new digital driver screen on. This new digital display replaces the old analogue instrument panel and is positioned next to a new steering wheel and a larger central display.
The new screens seem to require a redesign of the instrument cluster. However, since we are dealing with a vehicle that is in testing phase, it is important to note that things may change until the production release.
The exterior design is expected to change at least slightly from now on. Because this capture tool is at the core of the current Crafter model, which is now available for purchase in many markets around the world. Depending on your location, this vehicle may also be called the VW Grand California or the MAN GTE, but our spy sources say there will be some minor changes at the front and rear.
For now, this tactic, with interior and tech updates hidden over an existing body, seems pretty clever. But the changes are unlikely to be too dramatic, as the next generation Crafter is expected to arrive in 2026 at the earliest.
However, there is also the possibility that the vehicle we are currently reviewing will be the next generation model. The current Crafter model went on sale in the 2017 model year, and such vans generally have a longer production life than more common cars.
