[THE-U-]

Man this is a hilarious thread!

It took me a while to understand what folks are calling "caravan" in India is called an RV in the US. As most of you may know, RV is an acronym for "Recreational Vehicle" and the good ones are not really cheap. A five person sleeper with a Shower/ Toilet, kitchen etc. with a good Chevy (Detroit) Diesel engine will definitely cost in excess of US$50,000.00. No one can use these as a commuter car, although I have seen people using the full size vans slightly smaller than the size of 407 with a couple of persons sleeping capacity, as their regular vehicle (retired). Having driven one of the bus sized behemoth RVs on a major N/S interstate, I can only say these are not very user friendly vehicles. It took for ever to reach 70 mph and overtaking 18 wheelers was challenging with such a large surface area subject to buffeting. However, the comfort of having a kitchen with cofee maker/ microwave etc. was excellent for a continuous coffee drinker like me.

Checkout:

http://www.winnebagoind.com/

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by Jeeves

If there is a large enough market why doesn't someone start a self drive for hire caravan business. Just like Air Deccan is building or renovating airports in small towns, it may be possible to build caravan parks at large dhabbas all over the country.
Sounds like an idea!

I think we are seeing improvements in the highway-infrastructure within the country. 5-Years back, you wouldn't have known that a body such as the NHAI exists, and the golden quadrilateral project can be effective. Or Petrol-Pumps with Plaza's such as the one's that Reliance is creating can be created in India.

Trust me, The Reliance-A1 plaza's are at par with the highway rest-area's that you see in the US. With enough parking space for trucks, trailers, etc.

I took a road trip over NH7 from Bangalore to Salem this weekend, with a halt at the Reliance Plaza between the Hosur-Krishnagiri stretch. Trust me, the experience was as good as at any rest-area in the USA. What's more satisfying that you can get an exotic range of indian food at these road-side dhaba's. If a vegetarian, You don't have to work-away with french-fries, veggie burgers, or caesar salads.

A lot of tourist-places are getting commercialized. Soon you'll see the "RV" culture in India as well. But I cannot envision a boom in this segment, unless pushed by the car-rental companies.

[GR8guy]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

The replies here confirm this statement . And I didnt mean caravans that are pulled by anothr vehicle ....I meant a job like the one DC did on a traveller a few years back.

Hire a driver and enjoy your city and out of city rides....maan Im getting more and more sure that this is what I want now.

NC, your DREAMS will soon come true.
I could give answers to all the questions to the -ve comments that have been posted on this forum about caravans in India.
We have been researching since 2002 and now are ready with a product suited for India.
No Parking Problems!; No need for special parking sites;

[GR8guy]

Hello Guys!

I did read all the posts on this forum and would like to list in my inputs on them. (about caravans)

1. Firstly Caravans are Huge vehicles like the ones that are built on C.V. Platforms/Bus Platforms.
2. Caravans are not for use in Cities. They are for travel in to wilderness or for out of town locations like Hill stations and beaches. (Yes, they could be taken to work and use as an office too but then you would have to drive to work before the rush hour and move out before or after the rush hour.)
3. They are called the A-Class, C-Class, Camping Van Conversion(Like the Tempo Traveller), Folding Trailer, Trailer, etc in the US/UK, Caravans means Trailers in Australia. The general term given to all such vehicles is 'RV' Recreational Vehicle in the US.
4. Surely as pointed out by many on this forum Caravans are not for India is true! cause they are (a) BIG, (b) Parking is a problem, (c) Driving them in the hills would be a real pain. And as some one pointed out "We Indians are not Do-It-Yourself people, The bigger versions will surely and definitely fail.

CAMPERVANS ARE BETTER SUITED FOR INDIA

1. There is some thing called as Camper vans,which are smaller, compact RV's which are better suited for India.
2. These are vehicles with high ground clearence, a turbocharged engine and 4X4 which is shift on fly.
3. The best part is they can be parked in a stilt parking of a building like any other car. (The height of the vehicle is not more than SUMO with a carrier.)
4. These are equipped with SOLAR pannels, so now you do not need the parking site for a plug-in.
5. These are vehicles which you can personally drive and will be available in WHITE number plate for private use.

WHAT do you think?

[pathfinder]

It is just not practical in India where VFM is the bottomline. The only way Caravans can be "made" practical is that govenment allows them to be used as houses. Imagine, I am allowed to park my "caravan house" in parking alloted by govt in Aarey Colony.

Then, we have vehicles that comes close to Caravan, are the make-up vans for movies stars and the "rath" vehicles that policians used during election canvassing.

[GR8guy]

Originally Posted by pathfinder

It is just not practical in India where VFM is the bottomline. The only way Caravans can be "made" practical is that govenment allows them to be used as houses. Imagine, I am allowed to park my "caravan house" in parking alloted by govt in Aarey Colony.

Then, we have vehicles that comes close to Caravan, are the make-up vans for movies stars and the "rath" vehicles that policians used during election canvassing.

Hello Pathfinder,
Excuse me but I have lost my path in trying to find out what you ment by saying VFM??

And, so what happens when you are allowed to park in Aarey colony?

Well I meant to say that Campervans are for India and not Caravans!!

My dear there is a difference in them.

[eflanker]

Caravans?

You got perfect Innova in India, which is not even sold in western countries.

And why do Indians always compare their car market with USA?
Know your place in the society - learn how to follow traffic rules first!

Indians should compare their market with country of similar economies or population. China, Brazil for example.

[GR8guy]

Originally Posted by man23ish

I think we are seeing improvements in the highway-infrastructure within the country. 5-Years back, you wouldn't have known that a body such as the NHAI exists, and the golden quadrilateral project can be effective. Or Petrol-Pumps with Plaza's such as the one's that Reliance is creating can be created in India.

Trust me, The Reliance-A1 plaza's are at par with the highway rest-area's that you see in the US. With enough parking space for trucks, trailers, etc.

I took a road trip over NH7 from Bangalore to Salem this weekend, with a halt at the Reliance Plaza between the Hosur-Krishnagiri stretch. Trust me, the experience was as good as at any rest-area in the USA. What's more satisfying that you can get an exotic range of indian food at these road-side dhaba's. If a vegetarian, You don't have to work-away with french-fries, veggie burgers, or caesar salads.

A lot of tourist-places are getting commercialized. Soon you'll see the "RV" culture in India as well. But I cannot envision a boom in this segment, unless pushed by the car-rental companies.

Manish,
You are right by saying that the car rentals will be the one that will have to push this to the masses. The improvements in the roads all over India add to that the boom in Economy and income of people, the boom in tourism and the amount of visitors in India.
Camper vans which are campact, manuevrable on indian roads and terrains are sure to do well.

[AMATMO]

well i think there is a bit of a confusion here
cause some guys are talking of traffic
well, to keep a debate on caravan one must first make up his mind if he is talking motorhome concept or luxury on wheels both the things are different

one is used for travelling long distances where you can cook yourself and sleep on berths and you it like a mobile house
this vehicle is never driven in cities so traffic does not concern it in anyway

the other is like a luxury car of much greater volume which have very comfortable seats huge lcd screen a mini bar etc etc
i hope you got my point
this is used in cities
but many are used by stars as makeup vans etc
these vans are generally substitutes for limosand cars like Rolls royse and maybach
so which ones are we talking about here??

[nikeGoldWing]

with respect to above subject, i feel these vehicles are gr8 fr diff income grps. these are gr8 fr campin which u'll come across in western europe,usa and pacific(Australia&NZ) our country can boost tourism and attract lots of tourists. we've everything our country has to offer. n why dont these automobile manufacturers think on those lines.

In Australia they're using mainly FORD TRANSIT vans which are customized n boasts a lot of features inside. (its dream to get into one of them) n depends alot on type of caravan u gettin onto.

to get the skeletal view of motor home, copy paste the link given below:
http://www.blue-travel.net/britz/images/aufron_5.jpg

[condor]

If any one's intrested : There's a motor home for sale. Stumbled upon this ad:

Swaraj Mazda turbo camper motorhome

Apparantly, built on a Swaraj Mazda chassis, but asking for 14L !

[hondatoyotafan]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Best thing in the world would be to build up on the chassis of a Volvo bus!

This could be the best option,even a 4x4 truck like those from al would do.

Originally Posted by GR8guy

Hello Pathfinder,
Excuse me but I have lost my path in trying to find out what you ment by saying VFM??

@GR8guy
have you decided on the pricing yet? and why tata TL? is'nt that a costly base to start from?
could'nt find on the thread whether the displayed vehicle is 4X4, is it?

what about a very basic version with just a bed in the back with some lights for reading,a portable gas stove with a ventilated storing area, some storing area for a tent and camping furniture.

without the liftable roof and solar panels and plumbing.
would that work?

[diwa]

There is already a company in chennai who rents out caravans on a daily basis - Countrywide Caravans. These are mainly used by film stars on locations. This company is owned by our FM's son Karthick Chidambaram.

Countrywide Caravans - www.chennaibest.com

[anjuna mark]

Originally Posted by condor

If any one's intrested : There's a motor home for sale. Stumbled upon this ad:

Swaraj Mazda turbo camper motorhome

Apparantly, built on a Swaraj Mazda chassis, but asking for 14L !

That's mine. haven't sold it yet, maybe it's the 14L...