Ultimate mini-camper

[mumkin]

I don't recall seeing this posted here although the article is from 2011, and I can't really tell if these are Class B or Class C. They are a maximum of 11 feet long by 6.6 ft high... by Japanese auto rules.

I want one... I think it would fit in my underground parking garage.

Japanese kei camper

[mumkin]

I taught English overseas for many year, though I have only visited Japan. I would not quite consider English a status symbol, but more of something they use... sort of randomly... and with little or no attempt at any relationship to the actual language. Those wonderful signs are more attempts at translation for tourists or business purposes by people who have a smattering of English. But one needn't go far off the beaten track to find NO English. Even Osaka airport had no translation help for anything... be it finding the bank or buying a bus ticket.

Thus the English at this RV show was odd unless they are marketing these units to Australia or New Zealand - which is a possibility that I hadn't thought of when I first posted about it.

[ol__grouch]

mumkin wrote:

gerrym51 wrote:
You know what i think. I think the people in Japan and europe wish they had our rv's.

I suspect that you would be wrong. The 'bigger is better' obsession is purely American. Another reason for which they find us... odd. :B

Some very interesting choices made by Toyota and Honda that look as if they would be marketable here. Loved some of the names though... Buy a new FOCS or a NUTS. I was actually surprised at the amount of writing in English at this show.

English is a status symbol in Japan. Large international companies like Toyota usually do a good job translating (although the safety labels on our Toyota lift trucks are a bit....odd) but the smaller shop keepers and businesses sometimes come up with...unique......takes on English. If you want a good grin, head over to Unique English phrases

I have never not been able to grin.

[mlts22]

The thing about higher priced, good quality RVs is that after a few years, they end up filtering down through the used market. Class "B" rigs tend to be this way because they don't tend not to turn into rotted powder unlike a number of other rigs.

The problem is that Americans don't really have a choice on the matter. When you go to a RV show, you get presented with TTs that are built almost identically (same rubber roof construction), and there might be a few features such as a bit more insulation or some accessories that differentiate them. However, things would be completely different at an RV show if some of the Aussie or European makers had products for sale. For example, trailers made using industrial strength epoxy as the main sealant of choice. Trailers with propane fuel cells so even if the sun isn't shining, the batteries are topped off and the refrigerator can be a compressor fridge without sacrificing boondocking ability.

If Americans were presented with something other than the usual cheap stuff, but products that would have a real resale value, I'm sure they would buy it. One can point to Airstream as an example of this, where the TT may cost 3-4 times as much as others, but people still buy Airstream just due to the name still.

I do think that a top tier name from Australia, Japan, or Europe that can import small RVs that are not too expensive, but have the amenities people look for, would do well. Since Westfalia is upfitting Ford Transits, I can see a spot for their upfits. For example, a Westfalia Club Joker on a Transit van, or a Westie Ford Nugget. Just the name would sell them.

[wincrasher65]

timmac wrote:

MickD wrote:
Japan has a lot of interesting offerings to the RV world.

click

I bet the quality of those RV's are a whole lot better than here, if those started to hit our shores we could see some America RV builders shut there doors to lack of sales, maybe this is what is needed to shake up the RV world..

:E

I agree completely. Think the European RV's would do very well here. Lot's of ingenious features and attention to detail. Price wise might be a shock for Americans though. Americans still love the cheap, no matter how shoddy the RV really is. Winnebago has several models that look influenced by their overseas operations (mainly Australia I think). Those folks down there have alot of interesting ideas for RV's too.

The biggest thing, I think working against the European style RV is the use of cassette toilets. That would have to change. I have a Dry Flush toilet I use on my boat and in a small tag-along that works very well - it uses a bag system (search it on google). Otherwise a regular commode and 10 gal black tank would have to be fitted.

[wincrasher65]

timmac wrote:

MickD wrote:
Japan has a lot of interesting offerings to the RV world.

click

I bet the quality of those RV's are a whole lot better than here, if those started to hit our shores we could see some America RV builders shut there doors to lack of sales, maybe this is what is needed to shake up the RV world..

:E

You know, my experience with RV's here in America is that the smaller ones ALWAYS have better quality. I don't really know why, other than maybe just the size and stress are less on the smaller RV.

I've had small tag-alongs that have never had a single problem. Yet bigger trailers and motorhomes have had all kinds of problems - from the simple (plastic clips and brackets breaking) all the way up to furnace, ac and generator failures. And leaks! Let's not go there it's too painful!

So far, my Travato is 100% problem free.

[mumkin]

duplicate

[mumkin]

Neverhappy wrote:
Check out the site of : Romahome.com in England..that should also fit in your parking

Finally watched the video... I want the Roma R10. It might fit in my garage, but at 78 inches, it might be an inch or two too tall. It would be nice to get 50 mpg too.

[mumkin]

gerrym51 wrote:
You know what i think. I think the people in Japan and europe wish they had our rv's.

I suspect that you would be wrong. The 'bigger is better' obsession is purely American. Another reason for which they find us... odd. :B

Some very interesting choices made by Toyota and Honda that look as if they would be marketable here. Loved some of the names though... Buy a new FOCS or a NUTS. I was actually surprised at the amount of writing in English at this show.

[gerrym51]

You know what i think. I think the people in Japan and europe wish they had our rv's.

[timmac]

MickD wrote:
Japan has a lot of interesting offerings to the RV world.

click

I bet the quality of those RV's are a whole lot better than here, if those started to hit our shores we could see some America RV builders shut there doors to lack of sales, maybe this is what is needed to shake up the RV world..

:E

[Neverhappy]

Check out the site of : Romahome.com in England..that should also fit in your parking

[ol__grouch]

Kei vehicles don't meet US crash standards so the DOT won't let them be imported for highway use. Some are around here, but for off road use only. They get used on farms a lot for light duty as they are 4X4 and have a/c.

[MickD]

Japan has a lot of interesting offerings to the RV world.

click

[tatest]

If you are looking for something to convert, a number of Japanese breadbox vans (and other mini trucks) made it to these shores in the '80s and '90s with exemptions from DOT safety standards, mostly Daihatsu and Suzuki models. Many of these were a little larger than the 'kei' class, but still quite limited on power and highway usability.

For something a little more useful on the highway, consider the subcompact panel van (early Escort vans, and later Renault Kangoo kind of defined the class, but most every European manufacturer has them) which are popular for camper conversion in Europe, often with slide-in camping packages available.

The first generation Transit Connect was in this class, only slightly Americanized for our regulations and market preferences (e.g. we must have our A/C and automatic transmissions). The newest Tourneo/Transit Connect has grown a little toward the size of our earliest minivans, but still not as big and luxurious as today's minivans, and quite easy to fit out for camping when you pull out the passenger fittings.

[wincrasher65]

I for one, hope for the day when the American mindset of "bigger is better" is finally quashed.

Of course that won't happen until fuel prices get to stratospheric levels. Then maybe you'd see people actually enjoying camping by spending time outside instead of cooped up in their huge shiny RV with their a/c blasting, kicked back in a recliner watching their huge flat panel TV's.

The campgrounds I've been going to lately are essentially boondocking places - lots of folks with tents and popups and b-vans (especially VW vanagans!) These Japanese RV's would fit in these places very well indeed.