Over the years, Truma has established a large presence at the CARAVAN SALON Düsseldorf, Truma North America Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mark Howlett told Modern Campground. Yet, something gaining popularity at the show this year is far from big: minivan conversions.
Howlett was in Germany last week to represent the North American arm of the company at the annual show.
“[M]y attendance is predicated on the fact that we have a large contingent of North American—both Canadian and U.S. OEMs—who visit the show to see what is new and see what is upcoming to meet with suppliers,” he shared in a Zoom interview with Modern Campground.
“And, also, they take an opportunity to sit down with us, and it gives us an opportunity to showcase our European systems and what we have in development for future offerings to the market,” he added.
While Howlett has been attending the annual show for almost a decade now, something new this year, he said, is the emergence of minivan conversions. In fact, the RV component supplier itself had a mini Volkswagen van on display.
He said that the minivan conversion trend is taking over Europe and has “exploded” this year, as more manufacturers are producing compact vehicles. This was apparent as some halls in Dusseldorf were dedicated to exhibiting the small rigs.
Howlett also shared that one unit he saw at the show even had standard RV amenities like a shower and toilet and a full kitchen set up, plus a pop-top roof that converts it into a sleeping area.
“So that side of the market, I think, is something that we’ll probably start to see in the next two to three years in North America,” he said. “So Dusseldorf gives us a chance to kind of see what’s coming and where the technologies are going,” he added.
Enthusiasts from all over Europe and across the world flocked to Germany last week to attend CARAVAN SALON Düsseldorf and see what’s up and coming for the caravan and motorhome industry.
About 700 companies from over 30 countries were present to showcase their products and services —including Truma, which is celebrating 50 years of dedicated service to the German market.
While CARAVAN SALON Düsseldorf is underway, Truma is also gearing up for the Hershey RV Show in Pennsylvania, the 2022 Elkhart RV Dealer Open House, the Tampa RV Show, some overlanding shows, and more.
To learn more about Truma North America, visit https://truma.net/.
CARAVAN SALON is the world’s biggest caravanning trade fair where nearly all renowned national and international manufacturers launch the latest generation of motorhomes and caravans.
Featured image courtesy of Mark Howlett.