Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has announced a new Converter Recognition Programme to mark its return to the CV Show this year.

The new scheme extends the range of off-the-shelf and bespoke conversions on offer directly from Volkswagen’s dedicated Van Centre network.

Designed to build upon the brand’s existing ‘Engineered to Go’ and ‘Engineered for You’ programmes, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles aims to offer a range of conversion products that comply with the latest commercial and technical requirements. The changes to the programmes see Volkswagen introduce a number of new quality and technical criteria to which converter partners must adhere to.

Nick Axtell, specialist sales manager at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: “The changes to the ‘Engineered to Go’ and ‘Engineered for You’ programmes are another example of how Volkswagen is working together with its customers to develop and evolve our products and service to help meet their business needs. The alterations to the conversions offering will allow us to not only further develop current range of off the shelf solutions we offer, but also help us to deliver an improved customer experience.”

The changes will ensure customers are provided with a ‘one stop shop’ for converted vehicles, meaning that their chosen Van Centre takes care of the whole conversion process. This means only one invoice will be received when a vehicle is purchased via the Van Centre and when the vehicle is delivered, it is ready-for-use straight away.

A new three-tiered approach has been developed to suit the differing converter agreements that Volkswagen operates (Registered Bodybuilder, Integrated Partner and Premium Partner). At each level, converter partners will be required to undergo regular, stringent converter audits to ensure the quality of the products available, as well as deliver minimum type approval certification for each conversion.