Campervan conversions specialist Rolling Homes was fielding enquiries regarding its forthcoming hybrid 4×4 at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show this week (17-22 February) as it debuted its new 6m-long Darwin at the NEC.
The company has the base vehicles on order and is waiting for them to land. The team is already building a PHEV with Ford, but they believe there is a market for a hybrid. And, with the Volkswagen Multivan coming out as a hybrid they saw the opportunity to create one, which could appeal to fans of the best VW campervans.
As the Multivans are slightly smaller than the new T7, it might limit the market, but Rolling Homes is looking forward to the venture and will be using models that come with the VW elevating roof installed. The team expects there will be a market for the hybrid vehicles in cities where there are ULEZ-type charges, and it will join other similar ‘vans such as the Panama P10E.
Meanwhile, at the show itself, you could see the brand new 6m-long VW Crafter Darwin.
The Darwin was originally built on a 6.8m-long van, but customer feedback suggested there was a market for a 6m-long version and the team has been pleased at how successful they have been in maintaining a feeling of space in the medium wheel base, while still offering a rear bathroom and garage storage.
The model on show could appeal to fans of eco-friendly campervanning, as it was gas-free with a 300 amp hour Lithium battery, 320 watts of solar panel, a 3kw converter, and the standard Truma diesel fitted on all Rolling Homes vans.
Models start from £85K with the VW Crafter Darwin model on show at £105,750.
Another new ‘van to make its debut at the February NEC Show is the Landseer Artemis, a two-berth campervan which is geared towards off-gridding and comes on a MAN TGE base vehicle.
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