diff --git a/debian/NEWS b/debian/NEWS
index 244817a1..8c4f27b9 100644
--- a/debian/NEWS
+++ b/debian/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+grml-debootstrap (0.82+nmu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+
+  Starting with this release grml-debootstrap enables systemd-networkd by
+  default on Debian/stretch systems.
+
+  The old default behaviour where the host /etc/network/interfaces was used to
+  deploy the target network configuration was dropped in favor of using the
+  --defaultinterfaces option where all ethernet devices are configured to use
+  DHCP via systemd-networkd. For legacy reasons we also provide a
+  /etc/network/interfaces where `eth0` is configured to use DHCP.
+
+ -- Darshaka Pathirana <dpat@syn-net.org>  Wed, 25 Jul 2018 11:02:01 +0200
+
 grml-debootstrap (0.70) unstable; urgency=medium
 
   The 'contrib' and 'non-free' repositories are no longer
diff --git a/grml-debootstrap b/grml-debootstrap
index 103946cd..393380e1 100755
--- a/grml-debootstrap
+++ b/grml-debootstrap
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ MNTPOINT="/mnt/debootstrap.$$"
 [ -n "$TIMEZONE" ] || TIMEZONE='Europe/Vienna'
 [ -n "$TUNE2FS" ] || TUNE2FS='tune2fs -c0 -i0'
 [ -n "$UPGRADE_SYSTEM" ] || UPGRADE_SYSTEM='yes'
+[ -n "$USE_DEFAULT_INTERFACES" ] || USE_DEFAULT_INTERFACES="true"
 [ -n "$VMSIZE" ] || VMSIZE="2G"
 [ -n "$GRUB_INSTALL" ] || GRUB_INSTALL='yes'
 
@@ -141,11 +142,9 @@ Configuration options:
       --nopackages         Skip installation of packages defined in
                              /etc/debootstrap/packages
       --nokernel           Skip installation of default kernel images.
-      --nointerfaces       Do not copy /etc/network/interfaces from host system
-                           to target system.
-                           (This option is automatically enabled when using --vmfile.)
-      --defaultinterfaces  Install a default /etc/network/interfaces file (enabling
-                           DHCP for eth0) instead of taking over config from host system.
+      --nointerfaces       Skip installation of default network configuration.
+      --defaultinterfaces  Install default network configuration. (default)
+      --hostinterfaces     Copy host network configuration from host to target system.
       --debconf <file>     Pre-seed packages using specified pre-seed db file.
       --grmlrepos          Enable Grml's Debian repository (deb.grml.org).
       --backportrepos      Enable Debian's backports repository (backports.debian.org).
@@ -347,7 +346,7 @@ fi
 # }}}
 
 # cmdline handling {{{
-CMDLINE_OPTS=mirror:,iso:,release:,target:,mntpoint:,debopt:,defaultinterfaces,interactive,nodebootstrap,nointerfaces,nokernel,nopackages,filesystem:,config:,confdir:,packages:,chroot-scripts:,scripts:,post-scripts:,pre-scripts:,debconf:,vm,vmfile,vmsize:,keep_src_list,hostname:,password:,nopassword,grmlrepos,backportrepos,bootappend:,grub:,efi:,arch:,insecure,verbose,help,version,force,debug,contrib,non-free,remove-configs,sshcopyid
+CMDLINE_OPTS=mirror:,iso:,release:,target:,mntpoint:,debopt:,defaultinterfaces,hostinterfaces,interactive,nodebootstrap,nointerfaces,nokernel,nopackages,filesystem:,config:,confdir:,packages:,chroot-scripts:,scripts:,post-scripts:,pre-scripts:,debconf:,vm,vmfile,vmsize:,keep_src_list,hostname:,password:,nopassword,grmlrepos,backportrepos,bootappend:,grub:,efi:,arch:,insecure,verbose,help,version,force,debug,contrib,non-free,remove-configs,sshcopyid
 
 _opt_temp=$(getopt --name grml-debootstrap -o +m:i:r:t:p:c:d:vhV --long \
   $CMDLINE_OPTS -- "$@")
@@ -449,10 +448,13 @@ while :; do
   --password)          # Use specified password as password for user root
     shift; _opt_password="$1"
     ;;
-  --defaultinterfaces) # Install default /etc/network/interfaces
+  --defaultinterfaces) # Install a default network configuration
     _opt_defaultinterfaces=T
     ;;
-  --nointerfaces)      # Skip installation of /etc/network/interfaces
+  --hostinterfaces)    # Copy host network configuration from host to target system
+    _opt_hostinterfaces=T
+    ;;
+  --nointerfaces)      # Skip installation of default network configuration.
     _opt_nointerfaces=T
     ;;
   --nokernel)          # Skip installation of default kernel images
@@ -562,6 +564,7 @@ done
 [ "$_opt_password" ]            && ROOTPASSWORD=$_opt_password
 [ "$_opt_nopassword" ]          && NOPASSWORD='yes'
 [ "$_opt_defaultinterfaces" ]   && USE_DEFAULT_INTERFACES="true"
+[ "$_opt_hostinterfaces" ]      && USE_HOST_INTERFACES="true"
 [ "$_opt_nointerfaces" ]        && NOINTERFACES="true"
 [ "$_opt_nokernel" ]            && NOKERNEL="true"
 [ "$_opt_sshcopyid" ]           && SSHCOPYID="true"
@@ -600,6 +603,24 @@ if [ -n "$ISO" ] && [[ "$DEBOOTSTRAP" =~ mmdebstrap$ ]] ; then
   bailout 1
 fi
 
+if [ "$_opt_defaultinterfaces" ] && [ "$_opt_hostinterfaces" ] ; then
+  eerror "The options --defaultinterfaces and --hostinterfaces conflict with each other, please drop one option from your command line."
+  eend 1
+  bailout 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$_opt_defaultinterfaces" ] && [ "$_opt_nointerfaces" ] ; then
+  eerror "The options --defaultinterfaces and --nointerfaces conflict with each other, please drop one option from your command line."
+  eend 1
+  bailout 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$_opt_nointerfaces" ] && [ "$_opt_hostinterfaces" ] ; then
+  eerror "The options --nointerfaces and --hostinterfaces conflict with each other, please drop one option from your command line."
+  eend 1
+  bailout 1
+fi
+
 if [ "$DEBUG" = "true" ] ; then
   set -x
 fi
@@ -1713,6 +1734,16 @@ preparechroot() {
   [ -d "${CONFFILES}"/var   ] && cp $VERBOSE -a -L "${CONFFILES}"/var/*   "${MNTPOINT}"/var/
 
   # network setup
+
+  # systemd-networkd
+  DEFAULT_SYSTEMD_NETWORKD="# /etc/systemd/network/80-dhcp.network - generated by grml-debootstrap
+[Match]
+Name=en*
+
+[Network]
+DHCP=yes
+"
+  # legacy network interfaces
   DEFAULT_INTERFACES="# /etc/network/interfaces - generated by grml-debootstrap
 
 # Include files from /etc/network/interfaces.d when using
@@ -1753,38 +1784,33 @@ iface ${interface} inet dhcp
   fi
 
   if [ -n "$NOINTERFACES" ] ; then
-    einfo "Not installing /etc/network/interfaces as requested via --nointerfaces option" ; eend 0
+    einfo "Not installing default network configuration as requested via --nointerfaces option"
+    eend 0
   elif [ -n "$USE_DEFAULT_INTERFACES" ] ; then
-    einfo "Installing default /etc/network/interfaces as requested via --defaultinterfaces options."
+    einfo "Installing default /etc/network/interfaces as requested via --defaultinterfaces option"
     mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network"
     echo "$DEFAULT_INTERFACES" > "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network/interfaces"
     eend $?
-  elif [ -n "$VIRTUAL" ] ; then
-    einfo "Setting up Virtual Machine, installing default /etc/network/interfaces"
-    mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network"
-    echo "$DEFAULT_INTERFACES" > "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network/interfaces"
-    eend $?
-  elif [ -r /etc/network/interfaces ] ; then
-    einfo "Copying /etc/network/interfaces from host to target system"
-    mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network"
-    cp $VERBOSE /etc/network/interfaces "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network/interfaces"
+    einfo "Installing default /etc/systemd/network/80-dhcp.network as requested via --defaultinterfaces option"
+    mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/systemd/network"
+    echo "$DEFAULT_SYSTEMD_NETWORKD" > "${MNTPOINT}/etc/systemd/network/80-dhcp.network"
     eend $?
-  else
-    ewarn "Couldn't read /etc/network/interfaces, installing default /etc/network/interfaces"
-    mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network"
-    echo "$DEFAULT_INTERFACES" > "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network/interfaces"
+  elif [ -n "$USE_HOST_INTERFACES" ] ; then
+    if [ -r /etc/network/interfaces ] ; then
+      einfo "Copying /etc/network/interfaces from host to target system as requested via --hostinterfaces option"
+      mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network"
+      cp $VERBOSE /etc/network/interfaces "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network/interfaces"
+    elif ls /etc/systemd/network/* &>/dev/null ; then
+      einfo "Copy /etc/systemd/network/* from host to target system as requested via --hostinterfaces option"
+      mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/systemd/network"
+      cp $VERBOSE /etc/systemd/network/* "${MNTPOINT}/etc/systemd/network"
+    fi
     eend $?
   fi
 
-  # install config file providing some example entries
-  if [ -r /etc/network/interfaces.examples ] && [ ! -r "$MNTPOINT/etc/network/interfaces.examples" ] ; then
-    mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}/etc/network"
-    cp /etc/network/interfaces.examples "$MNTPOINT/etc/network/interfaces.examples"
-  fi
-
   if [ -n "${SSHCOPYID}" ] ; then
     if ssh-add -L >/dev/null 2>&1 ; then
-      einfo "Use locally available public keys to authorise root login on the target system as requested via --sshcopyid option."
+      einfo "Use locally available public keys to authorise root login on the target system as requested via --sshcopyid option"
       mkdir -p "${MNTPOINT}"/root/.ssh
       chmod 0700 "${MNTPOINT}"/root/.ssh
       if ssh-add -L >> "${MNTPOINT}"/root/.ssh/authorized_keys ; then
diff --git a/grml-debootstrap.8.txt b/grml-debootstrap.8.txt
index 5f909bc3..68a9a786 100644
--- a/grml-debootstrap.8.txt
+++ b/grml-debootstrap.8.txt
@@ -80,16 +80,16 @@ Options and environment variables
 
 *--debug*::
 
-   Execute in very verbose way. Useful for debugging possible problems
-   with grml-debootstrap or identify what's actually executed.
+    Execute in very verbose way. Useful for debugging possible problems
+    with grml-debootstrap or identify what's actually executed.
 
 *--defaultinterfaces*::
 
-   Install a default /etc/network/interfaces file (enabling DHCP for all local
-   Ethernet, WLAN and WWAN interfaces using predictable network interface names
-   and using eth0 as traditional interface name for backward compatibility)
-   instead of taking over config from host system.
-   This option is automatically enabled when using --vm or --vmfile.
+    Install a default network configuration, that is a default
+    /etc/network/interfaces file (enabling DHCP for the first detected Ethernet
+    interfaces using predictable network interface names and using eth0 as
+    traditional interface name for backward compatibility).
+    This is the default and conflicts with --hostinterfaces and --nointerfaces.
 
 *--efi* _device_::
 
@@ -130,6 +130,13 @@ Options and environment variables
 
     Show summary of options and exit.
 
+*--hostinterfaces*::
+
+    Copy host network configuration from host to target system, copying
+    /etc/network/interfaces and/or /etc/systemd/network/* if they exists.
+    This behavior used to be the default till grml-debootstrap v0.90.
+    Conflicts with --defaultinterfaces and --nointerfaces.
+
 *--hostname* _hostname_::
 
     Use specified hostname instead of the default (being $HOSTNAME or if unset 'grml').
@@ -157,7 +164,10 @@ Options and environment variables
 
 *--nointerfaces*::
 
-    Do not copy /etc/network/interfaces from host system to the target.
+    Skip installation of a default network configuration.
+    Does neither provide a default /etc/systemd/network/80-dhcp.network nor
+    /etc/network/interfaces on the target system.
+    Conflicts with --defaultinterfaces and --hostinterfaces.
 
 *--nokernel*::
 
@@ -248,16 +258,14 @@ Options and environment variables
     partitioned.
     This allows deployment of a Virtual Machine. The options needs to be
     combined with the --target option.
-    This option automatically enables the --defaultinterfaces option.
     Usage example: --vm --target /dev/mapper/your-vm-disk
 
 *--vmfile*::
 
     Set up a Virtual Machine using a regular file instead of installing to a
     partition/block device or directory. This allows deployment of a Virtual
-    Machine. The options needs to be combined with the --target option
+    Machine.
     ('qemu-img create -f raw ...' is executed on the specified target).
-    This option automatically enables the --defaultinterfaces option.
     Usage example: --vmfile --target /mnt/sda1/qemu.img
 
 *--vmsize* _size_::
@@ -278,9 +286,8 @@ docs and /etc/debootstrap/config for further information.
 Networking
 ----------
 
-By default (that is, if none of the options *--nointerfaces*,
-*--defaultinterfaces*, *--vmfile* or *--vm* are given) /etc/network/interfaces
-will be copied from the host to the target system.
+By default a default network configuration is installed, see *--defaultinterfaces*.
+To change the behavior, see *--nointerfaces* and *--hostinterfaces*.
 
 Usage examples
 ---------------