The Volkswagen Crafter has been awarded Continental Irish Van of the Year 2012 by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA ).
The announcement was made at a prestigious awards ceremony in Dublin at the end of last month. The German-made van claimed the top prize, finishing ahead of the Fiat Ducato EU5 and the Fiat Doblo Workup.
Niall Phillips, sales and marketing manager of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland, accepted the award and was delighted that the Crafter claimed the top prize.
“Naturally, we are delighted to receive the award and that the Crafter was deemed to be the premier van by the jury members,” he said.
“The fact that it has class-leading fuel economy makes it very relevant for the times we are living in and we feel that this new model also offers outstanding value for money.”
There are 260 versions of the Crafter available to suit a range of requirements and prices range from €22,000 excluding VAT.
The eligible vans for this year’s award were the Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel, the Volkswagen Crafter, the Citroen Relay, the Fiat Doblo Workup, the Fiat Doblo NP and the Fiat Ducato E5.
The Continental Irish Van of the Year jury comprises nine members of the IMWA. In order to find the winning van and category winners each year, the jury members assess each van that is launched on the Irish market based on voting criteria that included value-for-money, reliability, versatility, and potential residual value.
The Crafter finished with 44 points, ahead of the Fiat Ducato EU5 on 38 points, and the Fiat Doblo Workup on 29 points.
