YOU just can't stop a good van being in the fast lane of delivery.

And this is especially true of the latest Volkswagen Crafter which has just picked up a major European award.

An international jury of commercial vehicle journalists from 24 European countries has chosen the new Crafter: the newly developed big brother of the "Bulli" bus by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles as the best transport van of the year for 2017.

The completely independently developed and produced Crafter, which was designed to meet customers' wishes and has many innovations as well as extensive assistance systems, has won this coveted award before the vehicle has even been launched.

Dr Eckhard Scholz, chairman of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, accepted the award from the chairman of the jury, Jarlath Sweeney, at this year's Commercial Vehicles IAA in Hanover:

"After the T-series last year, we are delighted to now receive this special award for the new Crafter as well," said Dr Scholz.

"We are very proud of our latest product and of our team whose hard work has made the Crafter the best large transport van. We will be using this award to spearhead a successful launch."