Higher-tech 2024 Volkswagen Crafter van breaks cover

The 2024 Volkswagen Crafter has received a raft of upgrades designed to keep the large delivery van fresh as it moves into its ninth year on sale.

To be available in Europe during the second half of this year, the revisions wrought on the Volkswagen Crafter are headlined by an updated infotainment system, as seen on VW passenger cars.

As standard, the Crafter now gets a new 10.3-inch touch-screen with the option of a larger 12.0-inch infotainment display that runs the Volkswagen Group’s latest software.

As well as natural-speak voice control you also get a ChatGPT assistant that can answer questions on the move far quicker and more efficiently than previous virtual assistants.

Its capability is also bound to improve in sophistication over time.

VW’s interior designers also claim to have liberated more cabin space by moving the electric handbrake switchgear to the left of the screen, on the upper part of the dash.

Opt for an auto and you also get a column-mounted shifter that introduces a neat cubby hole, or cup holder, where the gear lever would normally reside.

Ahead of the driver, Volkswagen has also introduced a fully digital instrument cluster.

The tech quotient increases further when it comes to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

These include VW’s latest autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that now includes cyclist detection and pedestrian monitoring.

There’s also lane assist, traffic sign display, a speed limiter and standard-fit rear parking sensors.

The exterior design and powertrains continue unchanged. In Europe, the Crafter has a range of 2.0-litre turbo-diesel options, producing from 80-130kW, with both rear-wheel drive and AWD layouts.

An all-electric version, meanwhile, combines a 100kW e-motor with a 35.8kWh battery.

Australian-market details are expected to be announced shortly.

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