Australian Off Road expands

Queensland off-road camper trailer, pop-top and caravan specialist Australian Off Road has laid the foundation for a significant production expansion with its recent move into a new 5500 square metre factory and showroom located in the Sunshine Coast’s Industrial Park in Caloundra.

AOR has become one of the most respected Australian brands in the serious off-road RV market since founder/owner Steve Budden and his wife Rhonda (pictured) started building campers 13 years ago in Maleny in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

However while its camper trailers continue to win awards, AOR like other local RV manufactures, has been through a sales slump in recent times thanks to the GFC and the invasion of cheaper Chinese imports.

This has led the company to switch its prime focus from its hard-floor fold-out campers to its pop-top Quantum and Eclipse hybrid camper trailers and its compact Matrix caravan, launched two and a half years ago.

AOR is also preparing for the arrival of its new Voyager full-size off-road caravan, which when launched around June next year is aimed squarely at fellow Queensland RV manufacturers Bushtracker and Kedron at the top end of the true off-road specialist market.

Expected to look like a scaled-up Matrix and weighing in at just over two tonnes, the new Voyager is still undergoing final Outback tests. However it's known to be a full height, full-width caravan with a north-south bed, a full ensuite and many technical innovations, such as AOR’s high-capacity marine-style Dual Evacuation toilet and 290 Watt solar power system, making it self-sufficient for extended stays in National Parks and well off the beaten track.

To allow for this expanded production, the new factory at 39 Ron Parkenson Crescent is twice the size of AOR’s previous Caloundra facility, with all production taking place under the same roof instead of in three separate buildings.

Everything the company makes, including its own chassis, suspension trailing arms and wall frames, is now made in house, significantly streamlining the production process. This will ensure that the company can still produce its full range of vehicles in-house, in Australia, according to marketing manager, Clay Sherriff.

With an expectation of a production increase of at least 30 per cent in this year’s recovering market, with numbers boosted by the arrival of the Voyager mid-year, the new AOR factory will be the base for up to 150 employees – double the current number of 75 locals already employed – potentially making it one of the Sunshine Coast’s largest employers.