Chinese vans spread down under

After initially only being available ‘factory direct’ in South Australia, a range of cut-price, Chinese-built composite caravans are now available in four states including Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

Marketed under different brand names including Goldstar, Sundowner and Frontier, the caravans are built by the South Australia-based Liberty Group, which has several factories in China that produce a range of industrial products including manufactured housing and semi-trailers as well as caravans and camper trailers.

Priced from as low as $37,990 up to around $60,000 for one “with the works”, the vans are available with single or tandem axles, in body sizes ranging from 17ft to 21ft and with a variety of floorplans including front bed/full width rear ensuite, family bunk and toy hauler layouts.

According to Ben Bud, the co-owner of Victorian outlet Sundowner RV,  they sold 22 of the Chinese vans in their first 12 months from the small indoor showroom/workshop in the Melbourne suburb of Dingley (pictured) and he hopes to boost that to 50 in 2016.

“But for me it’s not about necessarily selling huge volume,” explained Bud. “It’s about getting the quality right, getting known for having a really good product in the market and having our customers telling other people what they bought from us is great value.”

While the vans are delivered largely complete from China, Sundowner RV does make a few improvements before delivery such as upgrading the water pump to a Shurflo unit and fitting better quality Dexter wheel studs.

“We change all the studs on the wheels, the reason being we’re not confident about all studs that come from China… We’ve seen some that are not up to scratch,” he said. “They’re OK, but they’re not 100 per cent. We want the product to be really good quality.”

Bud said the caravans are being “constantly improved”, with latest updates including new, upgraded wheels and tyres and more interior choices including timber and gloss finishes.

Aside from Malaysian cedar furniture and a marine ply floor, construction is ‘timber-free’ and comprises fibreglass composite body panels reinforced with RHS aluminium tubing, with foam insulation for the walls and roof.

A galvanised steel chassis is standard or to reduce weight by up to 200kg on a 21ft van, there's the option of an aluminium chassis for an extra $1600.

The vans come with a standard 12 months warranty including all appliances, with the option of an extended three year warranty for an additional $1500.

Sundowner RV is also looking to expand its current range to include slide-out caravans and even motorhomes, also built in China.

However, don’t expect the Chinese vans to be on display at a major Victorian caravan show any time soon, with Sundowner RV “locked out” from events run by the Caravan Industry Association Victoria, according to Bud.

“We’ve applied to numerous Caravan Industry Association shows and so far to date every single one of them we’ve been told there’s no space available and they won’t let us join the Association,” he said.

“I understand their point of view, we’re competition for (local manufacturers) in the market, at the same time it’s a restraint of trade and I’m sure it’s not the right way for anyone to go about business.”