Jayco to slash cost of painted RVs

Perhaps inspired by the charismatic caravans of yore, or just overseas fashion trends, Australian RV manufacturers are starting to inject more colour and personality into their latest models.

Following this path is Australia’s biggest RV manufacturer, Jayco, which introduced eye-catching automotive paint and graphics options on its range-topping Sterling caravan and Optimum motorhome last year.

Now Jayco is putting the finishing touches on a new, automotive spray painting booth and baking oven at its Dandenong, Victoria production facility; a "significant investment" that will enable it to offer more exterior paint options across a wider range of models at more affordable prices.

“We see the future being people will want to go down that path, at the moment we’re only offering it on Sterling (caravans), because that’s where the demand is,” says Jayco’s RV regional sales manager, Scott Jones.

“With this new booth we’re going to be able to offer it on more models and also do more designs, and able to do them quicker and more efficient.”

Currently, Jayco offers only a limited number of paint colours and patterns, including burgundy, charcoal, silver and dark metallic blue, but Jones says there’s no reason it won’t be able to offer more styles and virtually any colour in the future.

“These days when people are spending all that money they sort of want something a little bit different, and that gives it to them,” he says.

Although commonly used in the US to jazz up house-sized motorhomes and fifth-wheelers, automotive paint finishes on RVs are yet to take off Down Under.  The most popular and cheapest way to add some bling remains stick-on decals, with Coronet Caravans for example currently offering an ‘accent’ exterior option to match your tow vehicle.

Due to the costs involved, auto paint is usually only offered on top-end models, like the Queensland-built, $200,000-plus Paradise motorhome (pictured) with its lavish gold metallic treatment.

Currently, Jayco’s auto paint option, which is completed at a makeshift facility at its Dandenong factory, costs around $3000 depending on model.

“What our goal would be, when we can get more efficient at it, is to bring the price down a little bit,” he says.

The company also wants to offer custom paint on its cheaper models and eventually make it a standard feature on top-end models.  Jones says the aim is to boost the number of painted RVs Jayco sells from the current rate of around 50 a year up to as many as 1000, or around 10 per cent of Jayco's annual tally.

“We see it as something that we can offer that’s unique to us, and hopefully customers take it up,” he says.