VW rings the changes / Volkswagen will launch a brand
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new LT in 1995, ready to meet European crash testing regs in the year 2000.
In the meantime a revised LT cabin will be launched at this month's Brussels CV Show: it will reach UK dealers in the spring. There are few external changes apart from the Transporter choice of colours. Interior mods will include Transporterstyle seats, a new dashboard and a repositioned gearlever.
A cab bulkhead will become a no-cost option and a revised cooling system should sort out the LT's overheating problems. All models will get the turboengine's larger radiator, and an electric pump will keep coolant circulating after the engine is switched off. Turbo-diesel models van be charge-cooled.
The LT van and chassis cab will range from 2.8-5.5 tonnes GVW, and the new model will carry a price increase.
The long awaited 4x4 Transporter Syncro will also appear at Brussels, and should arrive here in March. The £2,000 allwheel-drive option will be available on SWB and LWB models, including chassis-cab variants, but only with five-cylinder engines. Ride height will be unchanged from front-wheeldrive models.
Transporter and LT vans can now be supplied without side doors, to suit reefer conversions. They are also available without bulkheads, and with blanked rear windows.
CI VW starts the new year with no pickups in its UK model range. The Mkl Golf-based Caddy was built in Sarajevo but the factory has been extensively shelled, halting production. Caddys are also built in South Africa, but only with petrol engines. Steve Butt, VW Commercial Vehicle Marketing Manager, says: "The Caddy is finished as far as righthand drive is concerned."
The company has also dropped the Taro, assembled under a joint venture agreement with Toyota. Only 4x2 petrol models are available — 4x4 models, built by Toyota in Japan, have run up against import restrictions. There are no immediate plans to replace either pickup; VW plans to concentrate on Transporter and LT sales.