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Roma embraces kinky caravans
Melbourne manufacturer to target anti-caravan iPhone brigade with more quirky importsWhen it arrives, regulation-compliant later this year, the BeauEr 3X will be the latest addition to the portfolio of small caravans being introduced to Australia by Roma’s Mark Palmarini.
BeauEr, a new French manufacturer of recreational vehicles established in 2012, makes two other expandable RVs that may also make their way to Australia in 2018, depending on the reception the 3X gets.
The 3XC is a next generation motorhome based on the BeauEr 3X concertina wall concept and features a detachable double carrier cab chassis, while the 3X+ is an expandable vehicle that can be towed legally like a caravan but grows to the size of a portable home when set-up on private land.
When it arrives later this year, the BeauEr 3X will expand Roma’s growing stable of tiny caravans, joining the French-Canadian glass-roofed Alto launched here in early 2015, the cute, lightweight fibreglass Italian-sourced Rookie introduced last September and the fibreglass Buddy teardrop hard lid camper introduced at the recent Melbourne and Gold Coast caravan shows.
Palmarini will soon be off to France to finalise the specification of the Australian version of the BeauEr 3X and will also visit the United States, planning to secure the Australasian rights for the innovative teardrop-shaped Inka Outdoor off-road camper trailer that is expected to become the fifth model in his ‘LittleRV Company’.
Meanwhile he is also negotiating with an established Chinese small RV manufacturer to add one of their models to the Roma stable, but he’s reluctant to discuss that yet until things are further advanced with the vehicle’s Australian compliance.
Unlike the BeauEr, Rookie and Buddy, which have specific street cred with younger on-road travellers, the Inka Outdoor with its innovative gullwing side doors has serious pretentions as an off-road model.
Based on a box section, fixture-welded and powder-coated steel frame, the Inka has a CAD designed, single-piece, wood and epoxy/fibreglass composite fabricated body, independent dual trailing arm suspension, disc brakes, off-road shock absorbers and BF Goodrich off-road tyres.
With its rear departure angle of 22.5 degrees and maximum ground clearance of 48cm it’s not going to threaten serious off-roaders like Track Trailer’s Tvan, but it should certainly take adventurous couples further off the bitumen than most tiny caravans of its 14ft overall length.
Palmarini believes he’s tapping into a new vein in the Australian RV market with Roma’s new kinky caravans.
“There’s a growing group of younger buyers and single women travellers who don’t want the size and responsibility of a conventional caravan or camper trailer,” he said.
“They are often inner city dwellers and for them, design, innovation and ease of use are high priorities. They see these caravans as a fun and fashionable way to enjoy weekends away, without having to change their lifestyle or their tow car.
“Some of these, like the Rookie, can be towed by small hatches – even a Fiat 500.
“For these buyers, it’s not all about the Outback, so they don’t need to be burdened with all the weight, features, size, or storage problems of s conventional caravan.”
Palmarini also said that for buyers of these small caravans and campers, price is not their primary consideration. Just as well, as ‘small size’ does not necessarily mean ‘small price’.
Roma’s Alto, Rookie and Buddy, for example, all retail in the $45,000-$55,000 range depending on the model and options, while the BeauEr 3X and Inka are both expected to sell for $50,000-plus.
“It’s not a big market here yet, but it’s growing rapidly,” said Palmarini. “The fascinating thing about it is that there is a large group of Gen X and Y people out there who will be out future customers, but don’t yet know it. Just like those who bought the first iPhones.”
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Written byMichael Browning
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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