It’s been a big year for Elite Caravans. Now only was it the first to get approved by RVM Australia's new accreditation scheme, the Melbourne-based company scored the Best Manufacturer 2013 award at at the Caravan and Camping Industry Association (CCIA) Awards of Excellence.
It’s also rolled out some innovative models, including one with a Gold Class-style 60in TV and Blu-Ray home theatre, as well as triple axle vans with domestic split-system air-conditioners and air suspension.
However, perhaps its crowning achievement is a five minute YouTube production titled “Luxury Class – The Musical”. It’s the latest in a series of tongue-in-cheek promotional videos from a company not afraid to poke some fun at the otherwise serious business of selling caravans.
The cheesy video stars Elite co-owner Peter Smith and his wife Kathy, singing and dancing on a magical mystery tour around Australia in Elite’s latest, 18ft Luxury Class caravan.
Featuring a cast of colourful characters including the mature-aged Ros Hendy Dancers, it kicks off with a candlight dinner outside the caravan, before the love-struck couple whisk off on a magic carpet ride to some iconic Aussie locations.
With plenty of bedroom and bathroom action and sexual innuendoes, not to mention countless repetition of the grating chorus line “Luxury, luxury, luxury class, you’re my, you’re my Luxury class...” the video finishes with the star-struck couple standing on the van’s roof, staring into the sunset.
In between are grey nomads in pink dresses outside the Opera House, and a bicycle-riding clown towing the ‘lightweight’ caravan through the air, like a scene out of 1982 sci-fi flick ET.
Elite Caravans was also behind a recently-released satirical short film, Caravans For Refugees, in which the Australian government introduces a policy that subsidies the use of caravans in suburban backyards for housing refugees.
The film stars TV and film celebrities including Helen Kapalos, George Donikian, Terry Camilleri and Santo Cilauro, and screened at local film festivals before hitting YouTube.
Check out the two videos below, and tell us what you think...