Volkswagen presents new generation of Transporter commercial vehicles

German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) on Sunday presented the new generation of its Transporter fleet ahead of a trade fair in the northern city of Hanover.

On the eve of the IAA Transportation, which formally opens on Monday, the chief executive of VW's commercial vehicle brand, Carsten Intra, introduced the new Transporter, which is to succeed the best-selling previous T6.1 model.

The new vehicle has been developed jointly with US auto giant Ford and is to be built by Ford in Turkey.

The model is to be delivered in late 2024 in selected European markets before a wider roll-out next year.

Along with the 2022 Multivan and the all-electric ID. Buzz, the new Transporter is set to replace the all-in-one Transporter vehicles, which was built in six generations since 1950 and was nicknamed the "Bulli" in Germany.

Ford and VW agreed to cooperate on light commercial vehicles in 2020. After the Amarok pick-up truck, the Transporter is now the second VW model to come from the partnership.

In return, VW will supply the Ford Tourneo Connect van, which will be built together with the sister Caddy VW model at its plant in the Polish city of Poznań.

Volkswagen has attracted a storm of controversy in Germany recently after announcing a wave of cuts and threatening redundancies.

It cancelled a job guarantee that was originally due to be valid until 2029 and has not ruled out plant closures in Germany.

Employees at VW's commercial vehicle brand are also fearing for their futures. The brand's production facility in Hanover has around 14,000 employees.