Montpellier Motorhome Show: the fitted van, this “Swiss army knife”, which is conquering the market

At the entrance to the Motorhome Show in Montpellier, they take center stage; “we have arranged them from smallest to largest”smiles Bertrand Estève, salesman in the TPL network, Everything for leisure, headquartered in Narbonne. But it’s not entirely fortuitous either: since 2021, sales of vans and camper vans have supplanted those of traditional motorhomes, taking over in 2022 57.14% of the market under the pressure, in particular, of vans, these modern heirs of the VW California.

My first car. 1967 VW camper. Well, one like this. pic.twitter.com/dosHWpSbrw

— Chris? (@Harleys360) November 3, 2022

Maneuverability and versatility

Seventy years after this pioneer, at Mercedes, “all motorhome brands have positioned themselves in this segment”taking more or less “40% of the converted van niche”, believes Bertrand Estève. Manufacturers themselves, Ford with the Custom, Renault on the basis of the Trafic, have derived leisure vehicles from it and market them on their own.

The principle: utilities less than 2 m high, rarely exceeding 5 m in length, topped with a pop-up roof with canvas walls and more or less equipped. Their main assets: “Maneuverability and versatility”underlines Andréa Raynaud, project manager at TPL.

“The van is the Swiss army knife, observes Bertrand Esteve. It is a family car for the daily life of 95% of buyers. The leisure vehicle for weekend getaways – turn the key and off you go – and a utility vehicle with a large volume for removals, DIY, etc., when you need it. A motorhome requires having a second vehicle. With him, that’s not necessary.”

In fact, it drives like a sedan, offers a similar level of comfort, the same driving aids, the same infotainment interfaces. And a rather nice design, in any case less typical than that of classic motorhomes.

A new clientele

Customers are not mistaken. “They have less apprehension with the sizesays Andrea Raynaudit’s easier to handle.” “The clientele is getting younger”observe Bertrand Raynaud, “we have seen new buyers arrive, many sportsmen practicing surfing, kiteboarding, climbing, who can sleep on site and take their equipment with them”, continues his young colleague. And experienced motorhomes forgo their large vehicle for the maneuverability and accessibility of these vans to all places. Even if it gets complicated.

Many city centers have been off-limits to motorhomes for a long time; the vans passed through. “Height limitations are starting to get in the wayregret Carole and Alain, owners of a Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo. There are gauge bars at 1.90 m, even 1.80 m, which sometimes prevent us from accessing a simple supermarket car park to do our shopping. This is unacceptable discrimination.”when the strength of these medium-sized machines is to be able to slip into a landscape without being noticed too much.

Lack of available vehicles

Gael had passed “a month in Australia aboard a van”in the middle of nature a few years back. “No toilet, no shower, but it was great”, he enthuses, his baby in his arms. The young father and Héloïse, the mother, for a time toyed with the idea of ​​living in a motorhome “to be able to go away every weekend. But with a baby…” The van would ultimately be a good compromise, especially “that we can rent it out when we are not using it. My brother does this via a specialized site, it covers the repayment of the credit, he even earns a little money”.

Because these machines are expensive, around 50,000 to 80,000 € and more, new. And you have to be a little patient. At the Montpellier exhibition center, this weekend, “we are exhibiting new and used vehicles about half of what we usually offer at the show and not all of them are available for sale. Our problem is to obtain vehicles, the fitters are having trouble getting chassis from manufacturers”, notes Bernard Estève. The shortage of semiconductors continues.

ZFE: all diesels…

“It’s a question raised by some customers, it’s not yet a brake”, observes Bertrand Estève, but the ZFE is a particular problem for vans. Why ? All these machines are currently only offered with diesel engines. “Some manufacturers have presented electric prototypes”but they are handicapped by their autonomy and by the weight and size of the batteries, a real obstacle in a small van.

Motorhomes drive relatively little in a year; in the Montpellier ZFE, for example, they should come under the exception granted to vehicles traveling less than 8,000 km per year. The vans, on the other hand, are intended to be used on a daily basis: what will happen on the 1^is January 2028 when diesel will be banned?