Another big Chinese caravan coming

New, Victoria-based Chinese RV brand Fantasy Caravan is about to add its first full-height, full-sized touring caravan to its current range of fully imported off-road hybrid campers and camper trailers.

Set to be unveiled at the National 4x4 Expo at the Melbourne Showgrounds from August 17-19, the new 19ft tandem axle couple’s van will join a growing number of imported Chinese caravans from the likes of South Australia-based Goldstar RV and the Regent-backed Snowy River, that are gaining traction on the Australian market.

While final pricing is yet to be revealed, the 19ft Fantasy caravan is expected to retail for less than $60,000, making it more than competitive with similar-spec, locally-built vans.

Fantasy Caravan was started by the local operators of Big Man Trailers, a nation-wide operation that in 10 years has grown to become one of Australia’s biggest retailers of imported galvanized work trailers.

The most popular Fantasy hybrid pop-top campers are from 12ft to 15ft (body sizes), and feature slide-out rear beds, internal ensuites, and bunk beds (or a combination of all three) along with external kitchens.

Construction includes a hot dipped galvanised chassis, aluminium composite walls and a fibreglass panel for the roof and front sections.

Not dissimilar in style or concept to what’s offered by bigger rivals like MDC and Black Series, Fantasy Caravan’s William He said the Fantasy models were built in a similar factory in China.

To keep pricing between $30,000 and $45,000, the Fantasy hybrid models utilise a combination of ‘generic’ Chinese-built RV components, and locally built parts like Cruisemaster’s DO-35 hitch. The vans are shipped around 90 per cent complete, with final gas and electrical certification work taking place in Australia.

A small selection of Fantasy hybrids currently share a small retail site with Big Man Trailers in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, but there are plans to open a stand-alone site for the Fantasy brand at a nearby location. The business is also about to open a showroom on the Gold Coast.

William He said apart from sharp pricing, Fantasy’s point of difference from its rivals included offering a wide variety of layouts as well as the opportunity to custom build. Waiting time from ordering to delivery is around two months, and around 60 Fantasy campers have found Australian buyers so far.

“Unlike MDC or Black Series which sell heaps (of camper trailers and hybrids), we’re hungry for every sale and will even custom build, including changing the floorplan or cupboard height, etc, unlike some of the others,” he said.