USB-style Kiwi caravan goes on sale

Remember the Romotow?

Described as the ‘ultimate caravan’, the radical design was the brainchild of Christchurch, New Zealand designers Stuart Winterbourn and Matt Wilkie and, unlike anything else at the campsite, folded out like a giant USB stick to re-create luxury apartment-style living when travelling around with the family.

More than seven years after the first production versions were due to be built, a pre-production prototype has finally made its public debut at the 2023 Covi Motorhome, Caravan and Outdoor Supershow at the Auckland Showgrounds in the North Island.

“After camping for 20 years with my parents and seeing the problems of being in a tent, [like] high winds, and looking at caravans and how they are constructed today, I just wanted to do it different,” said Wilkie of the concept he and his partner have been trying to bring to market for more than a decade.

“It’s a hard process taking a totally original design to the end [production],” explained Winterbourn, who also said the Romotow was originally inspired by high-end yachts as well as top-end apartments.

“How can we take the experience of a luxury yacht or apartment and combine that with getting out in the wilderness and enjoying nature in a camper,” he said.

Romotow production versions will have a GTM of 3400kg and measure 9.3m long overall, 3.35m tall and 2.45m wide in Travel mode. The four- to six-berth caravans will be built with a steel RHS chassis with an aluminium monoque cabin structure, and fully insulated composite walls, floor and roof.

However, the main party trick is an automatic hydraulic cabin rotation system that ‘swings’ the internal caravan body out from its external ‘decking’ frame at a 90-degree angle, to create a 7.54m wide, L-shape camping configuration with spacious, off-the ground inside/outside living areas.

In Camp mode, the Romotow boasts 29 square metres of floorspace in total along with 2.05m headroom, including the covered outside ‘balcony’ area and an internal layout with a front ‘saloon’ with club lounge-style dinette, a central kitchenette and ensuite with separate shower and toilet, and a rear master bedroom with TV and either a double bed or two singles.

Standard features include a gas cooktop/oven and three-way fridge/freezer, a Fusion sound system, Cruisemaster ATX coil suspension and automated chassis leveling system, 300L combined fresh and greywater storage, a combination water/air heater, and a 200Ah lithium battery system with 395W rooftop solar and CZone smart management, with a long list of upgrades available including double-glazed windows, a molded fibreglass drawbar storage locker, an internal kitchen island and loft bed, air conditioner and bigger lithium battery system.

Countless bespoke touches and luxury finishes line the architecturally designed fit-out including a panoramic front window and large side circular windows with motorised louvres, composite foam teak decking and a carbonfibre bathroom sink.

Production versions of the Romotow will be built by Auckland-based luxury RV manufacturer ACM Motorhomes, with prices starting at $NZ429,000 (around $A401,000), and optioned-up versions costing as much as $NZ1,000,000-plus.