Volkswagen Australia has introduced two limited edition Runner models to the Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Transporter van ranges, saving customers thousands of dollars on the new entry-level commercial vehicles.

Limited to just 200 and 350 units respectively, the Caddy Runner is priced at $19,990 driveaway while the larger Transport Runner costs $29,990 driveaway.

Both special editions represent a significant saving over the usual base models in the ranges, with the Caddy Trendline van starting from $21,990 before on-road costs and the Transporter van from $36,740 before on-roads.

The only difference between the Runner editions and the standard base models is the adoption of a harder-wearing trim on the seats in place of the standard material, and the addition of exterior ‘Runner’ decals.

Both Runner special editions come equipped as standard with electronic stability control, hill hold assist, daytime running lights and manual air conditioning.

The Caddy Runner teams a 63kW/160Nm turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine with a five-speed manual transmission and uses 6.9 litres per 100km of fuel on the combined cycle, while the Transporter Runner pairs its 75kW/250Nm 2.0-litre diesel with a five-speed manual for combined cycle fuel consumption of 7.5L/100km.

Both Runner special editions come with a three-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and will be available while stock lasts.

The Volkswagen Caddy is the most popular vehicle in Australia’s sub-2.5-tonne van segment, with 1049 sales so far this year giving it a 54.8 per cent share of the market.

The Volkswagen Transporter sells in similar numbers, with 806 delivered in 2012, although it commands just a 7.6 per cent share of the 2.5-3.5-tonne vamn market, trailing the Hyundai iLoad (3948, 37.4 per cent) and the Toyota HiAce (3717, 35.3 per cent).