AOR micro campers head Stateside
Queensland-built AOR Sierra and Sierra ZR go on sale in the USAThe path to the vast US RV market is now becoming well beaten for Australian camper trailer manufacturers, with Caloundra, Queensland's Australian Off Road being the latest brand to form a solid Stateside connection.
On this occasion it’s an exclusive partnership with Las Vegas-based XGrid Campers that sees AOR’s Sierra and Sierra ZR micro campers join XGrid’s suite of extreme off-road models that are currently a hit with adventurous Americans, bringing the ‘Outback’ to America’s ‘Wild West’.
AOR worked with XGrid’s team in designing US market versions of its top-selling teardrop units, adapting the two Sierra models to meet the needs of XGrid’s US customer base. With their rear entry doors, this was primarily limited to the campers’ electrics.
The first Sierra models to go Stateside, coloured Fighter Jet Gray and Desert Storm (sand) are currently on the water, packed three to a container, with AOR expecting to ship 20-25 units in the first of a two-year agreement, according to AOR’s General Manager Russell Evans.
Evans said that provision for this number of Sierras had already been allowed in AOR’s production schedule.
In another Aussie connection, the Las Vegas dealer also sells the American-built Boreas Campers, which are fitted as standard with Queensland-built Cruisemaster off-road suspension. XGrid also stocks the unique Opus inflatable campers, which were co-developed down under.
Hitting the camping sweetspot
Introduced in 2019-2020, the AOR Sierra and Sierra ZR garnered almost immediate interest from buyers in the US, with Evans actively looking for a distributor who mirrored AOR’s culture and passion for the off-grid lifestyle.
Described in the US as a ‘secure bunker’, the Sierra is AOR’s most versatile model in its 20 years of production.
Designed and built exclusively by AOR, it includes a state-of-the-art Redarc RedVision vehicle management system, proprietary independent trailing arm suspension and is claimed to be 100 per cent dust proof.
The Sierra ZR takes AOR back to its camper trailer roots, providing a flexible configuration for overlanders who may already have their own gear, yet is capable of the most extreme adventures with its 41-degree departure angle, up to 236 litres of water capacity and its Bundutec electronic lift, rooftop tent.
The 2022 AOR Sierra ZR is advertised on the XGrid Campers website for US$32,500, while the 2022 AOR Sierra costs US$42,300.
Meanwhile, Evans said delivery dates for all AOR models had blown out to 2022 and beyond, during the pandemic.
Although not unduly limited by component shortages, he said the new range-topping Sinergi and Aurora models are now being quoted as June 2023 -- a wait of close to two years if you order one of larger, top-spec off-road caravans today.
Related: AOR Sierra ZR Review
Related: AOR Sierra Review
Related: First look! New AOR Sinergi caravan
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