Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at the TÜRSAB Meeting

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles held an industry meeting with TÜRSAB members at Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus on Friday, October 23, 2026, addressing the tourism sector's vehicle, financing, and after-sales service needs through the Crafter and Caravelle models. In the meeting, which proceeded in a question-and-answer format, the brand's marketing, after-sales services, special vehicles, and fleet sales teams, along with its financing arm, directly answered questions from industry representatives. As the year draws to a close, the meeting is also a concrete example of how organized brands' efforts toward tourism have become in the shrinking light commercial vehicle market.

What was discussed at the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles TÜRSAB meeting?

The opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by TÜRSAB Board Member Gürkan Özcan and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Marketing Manager Ömer Madazlıoğlu. The question-and-answer session that followed served as the event's main function: vehicle issues agencies encounter in daily operations, product and service expectations, and competitive conditions in the industry were conveyed directly to brand executives. On the TÜRSAB side, questions were asked by Kerem Serkan Çoban and Road Transport, Freight, and Vehicle Rental Committee Chair Cem Türkkan; on the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles side, they were answered by Marketing Manager Ömer Madazlıoğlu, After-Sales Services Manager Onur Oğhan Kılıç, Special Vehicles Manager Polat Dükkancı, VDF Sales Manager Cenk Şenol, and Fleet Sales Manager Onurcan Tosun.

The agenda can be summarized under five headings:

• Model range and product features: evaluation of design, comfort, technology, and safety equipment for tourism use.
• Purchasing processes: sales opportunities, vehicle procurement processes, and fleet needs.
• After-sales services: maintenance and service processes and service campaigns.
• Financing: tourism businesses' access to financing and solutions for vehicle purchases.
• Daily operations: issues encountered in vehicle use and industry competition.

This picture shows that the relationship between commercial vehicle brands and the tourism sector is no longer conducted solely at the level of catalogs and price lists. While years ago the only option for renewing an agency's fleet was to call a brand dealership, today the manufacturer side is knocking on the industry's door by offering product, financing, and service packages together. The fact that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is repeating a similar meeting format within TÜRSAB proves this is not a one-off event, but a cooperation framework intended to be sustained.

What makes tourism so important in the light commercial vehicle market?

The point emphasized on the TÜRSAB side was clear: light commercial vehicles stand as one of the fundamental elements determining the quality of the service offered by travel agencies and their operational efficiency. It was reported that such a meeting, where member agencies directly shared their needs ranging from vehicle cost to financing access, and from maintenance-service to after-sales support, was seen as valuable for understanding the problems experienced in the field and jointly evaluating solution proposals.

The response from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles side followed a similar axis. In the brand's assessment, since the mobility need in the tourism sector depends as much on businesses being able to provide uninterrupted service as on passengers' comfort and safety expectations, the Crafter and Caravelle solutions are handled together with sales and after-sales services. The emphasis that every stage matters, from vehicle selection to usage costs, and from financing access to maintenance-service processes, summarizes the holistic approach of the meeting.

No complex analysis is needed to explain this interest. Tourism fleets use their vehicles not during weekday daytime hours, but at sacred-to-the-minute hours during the busy season; a vehicle staying in service means a direct loss of income. While Ford's dominance in the light commercial segment of the Türkiye market was discussed for many years, Mercedes-Benz had also announced that it was preparing for the 2026 tourism season with its light commercial vehicles, emphasizing safety, comfort, and quality. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles institutionalizing its method of listening to the sector is the best indicator of the level this competition has reached.

What do the Crafter and Caravelle offer to tourism fleets?

The roles of the two models in the sector differ from each other. The Crafter, with both panel van and minibus body options, covers a wide spectrum ranging from operational transport to passenger carrying. The Caravelle, on the other hand, is one of the proven options on the passenger side of agency fleets; with its 8+1 seating layout, long wheelbase, and four-wheel-drive options, it adapts to both transfer and daily tour operations.

The Caravelle Style trim level carries features that practically support the meeting's emphasis on comfort: the 13-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the 17-inch (6.5J x 17) Monte Carlo alloy wheels are found at this level. The renewed suspension system reducing jolts and increasing comfort is one of the details that make a difference in passenger transport.

It should be noted that the figures on the Crafter side are based on third-party pricing sites and need to be verified against the official price list for accuracy; The turnkey price of the Caravelle Style, on the other hand, comes directly from the manufacturer's current price list. The difference between them is also a practical reminder of how important turnkey and net price definitions are for the buyer. It is no coincidence that the sales representatives addressed financing questions at the meeting together with the VDF side: the brand is known to have run 0% interest loan campaigns for the Caravelle in the past, and in a high-interest environment, such solutions can be as decisive for tourism businesses as the price itself.

In what kind of market environment did the meeting take place?

The economic picture behind the scenes of the meeting better explains the tourism sector's financing agenda. In the January-September 2026 period, Türkiye's total market for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles contracted 13.39% year-on-year, remaining at the level of 803,465 units. In monthly terms, the picture is volatile: In July, the light commercial vehicle market fell to 18,308 units with a 22.17% decline; In August, it took a breath, rising to 19,502 units with a 0.34% increase, but the total for the first eight months of the year still showed a contraction of 11.91%. In the first five months of the year, the best-selling light commercial vehicle was the Ford Tourneo Courier, and the fact that the top of the list remains with small-capacity commercial vehicles shows that the demand from fleets engaged in passenger transport has a distinct character.

In such an environment, it is natural that for tourism businesses already under working capital pressure, the central element of the vehicle renewal decision is not price but access to financing. It is known that the vehicle rental sector carried out vehicle investments worth TL 253 billion in the first nine months of 2026, and that the total fleet reached approximately 411,800 vehicles by the end of the third quarter; this investor sector's high sensitivity to financing conditions is also a frequently voiced topic. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles putting financing on the meeting agenda as a separate heading is precisely a reflection of this reality.

Why are brands opening up to listen to the sector?

The most striking aspect of this meeting is its method. In the traditional launch logic, the manufacturer puts the product on stage, lists its features, and leaves the action to the buyer. The format Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles arranged with TÜRSAB members, however, works in reverse: the sector asks its questions, and the brand's marketing, after-sales, special vehicles, and fleet sales teams answer. First-hand communication of problems experienced in the field and product-service expectations can provide input for a range of decisions, from product planning to service campaigns.

It is no coincidence that TÜRSAB's vehicle rental and transport specialization directorate was also at the table; this audience is a customer profile that both buys, negotiates before buying, and visits service the most after the sale. Years ago, manufacturers used to see agency fleets only as marginal notes in the marketing department's documents; today, those same fleets form the most disciplined and predictable buyer segment of the light commercial range. Winning the loyalty of this segment in a shrinking market means securing the front line of the next wave of growth in advance.

What impact will the meeting have on the tourism and commercial vehicle market?

Some of the concrete outcomes may reveal themselves in the near term: after-sales service campaigns, financing packages aimed at tourism businesses, and facilitative arrangements in fleet procurement processes are typical products of such meetings. The brand's past 0% interest loan practices should be remembered as a pioneering example of the level on which competition can be played on the financing side.

More important than that, however, is the message itself. In the light commercial vehicle market squeezed by 2026's contraction, the tourism sector's vehicle demand has become a strategic priority for brands along the axes of passenger comfort, uninterrupted operation, and access to financing. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles presenting the Crafter and Caravelle together with sales, financing, and service elements while listening directly to the industry; as Mercedes-Benz's similar preparations also show, this race is already being set up. This is precisely what the industry has been waiting for: a supplier approach that brings not just the product, but the entire business model to the table.

Sources

• TURSAB and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Held an Industry Meeting
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Evaluated the Tourism Sector's Needs with TURSAB Members
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Met with TURSAB Members
• Tourism's Vehicle and Financing Demands Found an Answer at Volkswagen
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Price List – Caravelle
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Price List – Crafter
• Caravelle Style Details – Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
• Türkiye Automobile Market September 2026
• April 2026 Results – OSD
• 253 billion TL investment in vehicle rental
• Volkswagen Crafter Price List
• VW Commercial Vehicles Price List 2026
• Tourism sector prepares for the 2026 season with Mercedes-Benz Light Commercial Vehicles
• Industry Meeting with VW-Doğuş Oto – TURSAB Events