Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Commercial Vehicles (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commercial-vehicles/)

-   -   Mahindra to launch Bolero Camper-based caravans (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commercial-vehicles/249340-mahindra-launch-bolero-camper-based-caravans.html)

Mahindra has partnered with Campervan Factory to launch affordable campervans in India.



Mahindra and IIT Madras' Advanced Manufacturing Technology Development Centre (AMTDC) plans to develop caravans based on the Bolero Camper double-cab. The International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW) will be taking care of water management and waste disposal, while Saint Gobain Research Centre will develop glazed windows.

The campervan will have a sleeping and dining space for four occupants, a mini-fridge, television, microwave and optional air-conditioning. It will also have running water with a shower and a bio-toilet which doesn't require a septic tank. Instead, the vehicle comes with a separate tank that is filled with bacteria which decomposes the waste into methane, carbon dioxide and water.

The Mahindra Bolero Camper-based caravan is aimed at tour operators and aggregators in the tourism industry.

Not bad. If I somehow manage to get an early retirement(*F.I.R.E Dream*:p), this is something I would really love to own and wander around the length and breadth of India. :)

Can we drive these with usual 4W license or does it have any other license requirements?

It should have been Scorpio based instead of Bolero. That would have given it a more aesthetic look, personal opinion. This looks more like a pickup.

More than the camper itself, its the dearth of safe places which is a bigger concern. If we have camper parks or safe places where we can pay and park kind of arrangement, this could be an economical and good option.

Last year during budget Maharashtra had allocated some funds to develop trailer parks based on the ones in USA and also have rental camper vans available by MTDC. I haven't heard anything of late but that idea is certainly there.

Mahindra's 'n'th partnership with a 'x' firm. I'm pretty confident that this partnership like many others will be forgotten and gone.

Am trying to understand the reason of such places. If it's the way of life in USA or a need, doesn't have to be the same in India. The definition of remote places/accessibility is vastly different in India. Even the most remote place has a sizeable population and connectivity (relatively to US). The market for RVs or motor homes will be seriously limited to only very few enthusiasts. So designating a place as trailer parks will be a fruitless move, others will park there too over a time.

I highly doubt if this will ever make it to mass market, even if it does, I wonder how many will actually buy this given the fact the camper's ride quality (leaf spring suspension setup). Would have made sense if they could have built this on Scorpio or TUV platform.

Will be amazing to see this market maturing in India. Indians may not prefer owning it, but, my feel, there is good potential for self drive rentals.

I've had a few campervan holidays in Europe and I love the concept and the freedom I get from it. Basically it is a Hotel-on-wheels with a Kitchen that I drive around like I would a rental car.

How does this work in India? Who will drive?

This is good for us pet owners who travel with them. My vacation planning starts with finding pet-friendly stays, which are limited with proper facilities. I can park this in a designated spot or close to town and let my pet enjoy the woods.
There are selective overlanding groups which are niche but are gaining some traction, this might be opted by them, however they are modifying their 4x4's or rental Travelers, and a Bolero pick up might not cut through.
The biggest challenge is these will run with commercial plates and moving between states involves registering at state specific RTO's and follow commercial vehicle guidelines. So for example if I am visiting Himachal from Delhi/NCR, I have to go through commercial RTO formalities of Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. Life will be simpler if these can be registered as private non-commercial vehicles.

Mahindra used to have (or may still have) a customization business unit, which offered customized version of Mahindra MUV and SUVs. So for M&M, this kind of experimentation would not cost much, on the contrary, they would get lot of free publicity, even if such a vehicle would have little or no demand in reality.

At some point of time, I had a tremendous RV craze and was determined to get one for me (best bet was Force Traveler, followed by modified VCross). The cost was also not prohibitive for a basic AC motor home setup on Force Traveler 3350. However there are many other serious issues, which ultimately made me to abandon my plan. Some of them are as below;

1. Parking space. Unlike Europe, US or Australia, security risk in India is extremely high, not so much because of law and order, but because of perceptional gap. Any vehicle, parked in a relatively remote location is a target for numerous entities from village folks to petty criminals even the cops. So no matter whether one is parked at a designated parking spot, a highway dhaba or a hotel, a RV will attract unwanted attraction like flies stooping on open food, and mishap can happen anytime.
2. Cops and RTOs. For them anything that looks different is a potential target for extortion and many of them would never understand the concept of RV. So irrespective of commercial or private license, any oversized or uncommon looking RV will attract their attention and trigger extortion attempt. A regular citizen is not skilled enough to handle these guys effectively.
3. Highway Robbery and other crimes. These unconventional looking vehicles are a prime eye catcher for highway robbers, as they generally believe people traveling in a big vehicle would be carrying lot of cash and valuables. There are many infamous highway stretches across the country where normal vehicles get looted regularly, so one can easily imagine, what will happen to RVs
4. Increasing fuel price. The way fuel price is increasing, soon it will make road travel extremely costly in India. One can easily calculate the sheer monetary savings if one travels by train/flight/bus and even spend a little extra in accommodation, compared to make a long distance travel by RV.

The only place, where I see potential for RVs, are the coffee estates in Karnataka (and other states) and also probably the tea estates in the north east. These are private lands, mostly having scenic beauty and some decent level of security. Also, tourism can be a good supplementary income source for the estate owners, especially the small ones. Under such circumstances, if estate owners take the initiative to provide secure parking with basic amenities such as water and garbage/sewage disposal etc. in exchange of parking rentals, that could be a niche but viable model.

I agree , but someone like MTDC can let out their properties on rent for RV owners to start with. Also lot of hotels can allow people with RV to park in their premises at night, and use hotel facilities for a cost.

Cops and RTO : For them its best to buy a vehicle which doesnt scream RV from outside, so just keep the vehicle look stock on outside as much as possible.

Fuel prices : If you buy a RV, it assumed you already have spare cash isnt it ;)

Coming back to Mahindra Camper, well i dont see many private buyers for it since the vehicle itself is crude. But yes it can be rented maybe not as a self drive but chauffer driven. Some hotels/ resorts can buy this as a novelty factor to attract tourists.

Kerala has already formulated a policy around caravans which similar to the Homestay policy. Individuals can apply for caravan parking if they have certain land available to park the vehicles. RTO is issuing caravan licenses now. Lot of tourist bus operators are applying for this and planning to convert the buses to caravans anticipating good profits.

There are still challenges in issuing licenses like whether a farming land can be utilized for commercial purpose etc. that are being addressed now.

https://www.keralatourism.org/caravan-tourism

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but I don't think motor homes or caravans will ever catch on in India. There are just too many factors working against them. Primary reason being, as some have mentioned, there are hardly any safe places to camp. Secondly, the weather in our country, for the most part, is hot and humid. I have tried camping in a vehicle a few times in the forests of Tamil Nadu and Kerala before and trust me, it gets rather stuffy after a few hours (unless you are camping at some hill station or in the northern parts of India during the cooler months). Thirdly, in a country such as ours, where even cool films are banned to prevent immoral/criminal activities, how am I going to explain to some uneducated cop why I have curtains or a bed in the back of my vehicle rl: ? Not to mention the number of security checks i will have to go through and bad behavior from police/forest/other security agencies that I may face at the umpteen number of checkposts. On top of all that, our country has a major issue with moral policing and I am not sure I will be pleased having to prove to every villager/right wing activist who comes to check on what I am doing in a parked camper van, that the woman in the vehicle really is my wife :mad: Forgive me for sounding so negative, but I have lived in India far too long to believe otherwise.