Clearview for smaller SUVs

Australian-assembled Clearview towing mirrors could soon be available for the growing number of smaller SUVs on the road towing lightweight caravans and campers.

Introduced around five years ago, the Clearview towing mirrors are described as “Australia’s first full replacement towing mirror” and are a stylish and practical alternative for vehicles that regularly tow a big caravan or other type of trailer.

Starting with the LandCruiser and Patrol, Clearview has steadily built up its range of replacement mirrors to now cater for around 30 of the most popular tow vehicles, mostly dual cab utes and larger four-wheel drive wagons.

But Clearview Mirrors’ founder Mike Cowan said demand is growing from owners of small and mid-sized SUVs, which are one of the fastest growing segments of the Australian new car market.

“We’re getting asked for Hyundai Santa Fe and some of the other soft-roaders, so I don’t know where we’ll stop (with introducing new variants). You have just got to do whatever is popular, I guess,” Cowan said.

With their small but efficient turbo-diesel engines and  towing capacities of two tonnes or more, compact SUV models are also a popular option for the growing number of lightweight British and European caravans sold in Australia.

Meanwhile, latest additions to the Clearview range include Land Rover Discovery 3 and 4, and Range Rover Sport, while next in line is the Volkswagen Amarok ute.

Cowan said he’s also had requests from owners of the Nissan Y62 V8 Patrol, but he would need to get hold of an original mirror first, as the Clearview versions for each particular model are ‘reverse engineered’ from the factory originals.

Priced from around $700 and fully ADR compliant, Clearview mirrors are assembled in Australia from imported and locally built components.

Also available on the Clearview website are imported mirrors, similar in style to Clearview’s, for the most popular American models like the Cheverado Silverado and Ford F100.

Clearview also recently released the Convertor, an electrically-adjustable replacement for ‘Aussie truck’ style towing mirrors.

Cowan’s business empire is also expanding with the recent acquisition of the Victoria-based Black Widow 4x4 accessories business. Cowan said the previous owners shut the doors last year after struggling with the high cost of manufacturing the aftermarket vehicle storage systems in Australia.

To reduce labour costs, Cowan has shifted production offshore to China and the first Black Widow fridge slides with minor modifications, should hit the market in a few weeks’ time.