Jurgens caravans are back on sale in Australia

It's official! Jurgens lightweight touring 'vans are back on the Australian market after a long hiatus...

Once one of Australia's most popular lightweight caravans, the Jurgens brand is being revived by the owners of Willow RV, which has a factory in Pakenham, Victoria and has built a range of caravans and now motorhomes for the past eight years.

The move follows a recent trend of established Australian manufacturers such as JB with Traveller and Crusader with Dreamhaven, launching lower price-point, Australian-made brands to combat the flood of Chinese imports, which now account for as much as 50 per cent of the market.

We were invited to the Willow factory for a pre-launch industry-first look at the new Jurgens line-up, and learnt that the range will kick off with 18ft and 20ft twin axle models with introductory pricing of $64,000 and $65,500, respectively.

Importantly, both touring models will feature a relatively light 2800kg ATM. Stock is expected to roll out to dealers over the coming months.

We also learned that the increasingly important driveable RV segment will continue to expand for Willow, with plans for a smaller campervan.

A bit of history before we dive into the details.

Under the stewardship of local directors Eddie Wills and Ian Jow, Jurgens grew from nothing in 2008 to building around 700 units a year in 2017.

Before the rise of the 3500kg-rated dual-cab lifestyle ute, the company’s growth was driven by a focus on a lightweight touring 'van niche, and it had a cult following amongst devout owners.

Following an ownership change driven by parent company Jurgens South Africa, Ian and Eddie departed and went on to form Willow RV, which they still run today.

Under new management, Jurgens rapidly fell into decline and closed its doors for the last time in the early 2020s.

Meanwhile, Eddie and Ian repeated their growth success at Willow, this time focusing on more contemporary materials with greater mainstream appeal. Key models included the Conifer dirt road touring models through to heavy-duty suspension Boab models and Ironbark slide-outs.

But the “founding fathers” of Jurgens Australia never lost their affection and recently secured the brand to bring back a range of lightweight tourers.

“Even a decade on, we see on owner’s groups Jurgens has a strong following and is best known for quality-built, lightweight 'vans," explained Ian.

"Plus, all Australian manufacturers are under pressure from Chinese imports, and we want to fight back too. The Jurgens brand provides a clear distinction from our more premium Willow brand offer.”

Eddie added that buyers will be purchasing a 'Willow Jurgens' of sorts.

“The Jurgens product is still built in fundamentally the same way as our Willows, with the same composite construction including the same 28mm sandwich panels walls, the same 17mm honeycomb floor and the same fibreglass roof," he said.

"The chassis follows the same design principles, and Jurgens 'vans run down the same assembly lines with the same attention to detail and quality controls.”

The main difference will be less bulky on-road underpinnings.

“We save significant weight and cost by using roller rocker suspension rather than trailing arm suspension," continued Eddie.

"The Jurgens comes with a standard ball coupling rather than a DO-35 on our more premium Willow models. We don’t supply a toolbox as standard, and we eliminate checker plate running down the sides."

Items like lower-cost entry doors will also be used to help keep both weight and price down.

"The furniture construction, such as the overhead lockers, is simplified to reduce weight and cost. Similarly, the 12V system is more basic but very serviceable with a reputable Projecta system working in conjunction with a single 100Ah lithium battery and 200W of solar.”

The smaller $64,000 twin axle 5508 (18ft 8in internal) model has a 1969kg tare for an 831kg payload with a nominal 2800kg ATM.

The $65,500, larger twin axle 6028 (20ft 4in internal) has a 2037kg tare for a 763kg payload at 2800kg ATM.

Both models can have the ATM rerated up to 3200kg to provide larger payloads.

Both feature classic rear ensuite, front bed layouts. The 5508 sports a compact L-shaped lounge, while the 6028 has room for a café dinette. Despite the low price point, both models feature a washing machine as standard.

Other standard kit includes 15in rims with all-terrain tyres, twin 4.5kg gas bottles, a three-quarter tunnel boot, roll-out awning, reverse cycle air-conditioning, compressor fridge, four-burner gas grille and microwave.

A single axle variant is under development with a target of $63,000 and 2600kg ATM. The twin-axle platforms also have the potential to support family 'van layouts.

Both Eddie and Ian have strong international experience in the design and manufacture of motorhomes. They were keen to bring this expertise to the Australian market and launched their own models under the Willow brand in 2025.

Ian said motorhomes have grown to be a critical part of the Willow business, building off the Iveco Daily platform. He said he likes the rear-wheel-drive platform and believes the Iveco delivers the best features for the money.

Meanwhile, Willow is working hard behind the scenes to expand its driveable offer, with plans to launch a Volkswagen Crafter-based campervan later this year. Both Eddie and Ian were tight-lipped on details, so we will have to watch this space.

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