Caravan sales boom in the West
West Australian RV manufacturers and dealers can't keep up with demandCaravan production may have temporarily ground almost to a halt in the eastern states, but there's a mid-strength RV production boom happening in largely COVID-19-free Western Australia.
Elross Caravans General Manager Declan O’Brien said the small Beckenham, West Australian factory had been "swamped" with buyer enquiries and orders in recent weeks as more locals seek to hitch up a van and explore their big backyard amid restrictions on border crossings and air travel.
"We have the luxury of traversing a large state and so much to see; everyone has the caravan bug and we have been overwhelmed by the support WA customers have given us.," O'Brien told caravancampingsales.
"As a small business with seven staff, we have as of September. 2020, 17 recreational builds as well as some small government and mining sector work."
Off-road caravan buyers are also flocking to cross-town rival Explorex, while many West Australian dealers are reporting low stock levels as they struggle to keep up with rising demand for new and used caravans.
Business almost tripled over a recent three-month period at one dealership, the Mandurah Caravan and RV Centre, which sold more than 140 vans compared to about 50 during the same period in a 'normal' year.
"I've been in the business some 30 years and I've never seen anything like it," Mandurah Caravan and RV Centre general manager Grant Wiltshire told the Mandurah Mail.
The Mandurah Caravan and RV Centre sells Melbourne-built Concept, Newlands, Viscount and Legend caravans, but currently has only a handful on display as supply from locked down Melbourne manufacturers dried up in recent weeks.
It's a similar story at Rockingham-based Luxury RVs, which sells Melbourne-built caravans from Reteat, Network RV and Nova but currently has only three 2020-models listed for sale.
To further capitalise on the West Australian RV 'boom', Elross recently rolled out some fresh 2021-models including a new semi off-road, 19ft tandem axle Elross ECS, complete with Cruisemaster CRS2 coil suspension and eye-catching red interior upholstery and kitchen splashback.
Also new is a 14ft version of Elross' ECX full off-road model equipped with Cruiseamster XT coil suspension, along with an interior floorplan comprising an east-west queen bed, kitchen with big fridge. dinette/lounge and combination shower/toilet.
The compact but well-equipped off-roader also has some novel design features like a slide-out kitchen fitted right next to the entry door at the rear, and an external slide-out drawer that's big enough for a golf bag.
"Early 2021 will see the first production units of our Family series in both semi off-road and full off-road packages," O'Brien said.
Caravan sales spike post-lockdown
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