[00:00:00] Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast.
[00:00:02] Matt Sims: We look at trends and future expectations for 2026.
[00:00:07] Keith Gooden: And we’re live from the big show at the NEC in Birmingham.
[00:00:12] Matt Sims: It’s the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2025.
[00:00:21] Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:00:24] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:00:25] Keith Gooden: Industry insights, expert advice for the world of motorhomes, campervans and caravans.
[00:00:31] Matt Sims: You did all that without reading it.
[00:00:32] Keith Gooden: Thank you very much. That’s the first time in four years.
[00:00:36] Matt Sims: It is four years. You know, it’s four years in literally right now.
[00:00:39] Keith Gooden: It is four years.
[00:00:40] Matt Sims: It’s incredible.
[00:00:41] Keith Gooden: Well, it’s the first time I’ve ever had to. I usually say line.
[00:00:44] Matt Sims: To.
[00:00:45] Keith Gooden: To Motorhome Maddy.
[00:00:46] Matt Sims: Yeah. He’s behind the camera, as always. We are delighted to be here at the NEC. It’s the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2025.
[00:00:53] Keith Gooden: You got it wrong.
[00:00:54] Matt Sims: I did nearly. I had to think twice. It’s been a long day and I’ve had great fun going round the show, looking at what might be coming in 2026 or what is coming in 2026, because it’s here. And so I’ve been wandering around the show. I’m going to head off and leave you on the stand for a bit, Keith, giving out the orange bags because they have been back this year, more popular than ever. Thousands of them. I’ll tell you what, stuffing those has been a challenge every night at the Airbnb. But anyway, never mind that. I’m going to head off with Maddy and we’re going to go and have a look at what’s in store for 26.
[00:01:26] Keith Gooden: See you later, alligator.
[00:01:28] Matt Sims: I’ll head off now. See you later. Well, I’m here with Rob from South West Motorhomes near us in Somerset. How are you?
[00:01:39] Rob: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Very well, thank you. Nice to be at the NEC. It’s busy. Busy day today. So yeah, it’s been good.
[00:01:44] Matt Sims: We are in front of yet another German manufacturer who has done the whole 4×4 thing. They’re all at it now. Is this a trend, is it a fad or is it the future?
[00:01:53] Rob: Well, it’s a seriously cool piece of kit. So yeah, it’s interesting to see whether we see these vehicles actually out off of the tarmac is another question.
[00:02:02] Matt Sims: But I call them Chelsea campers.
[00:02:05] Rob: A bit like the Chelsea tractor with the Defenders that we see in our end of the country.
[00:02:08] Matt Sims: Now, what’s interesting about the Dethleffs Globebus Performance, as it’s known, is it’s on a VW 4×4, which is quite unique, isn’t it?
[00:02:15] Rob: Yes. Very unique. Yeah. And actually it’s the short-wheelbase VW Crafter chassis, which actually makes it really quite a usable vehicle off-road. It’s got a really good approach angle, really good breakover angle. The departure angle’s maybe not so good because you have got quite that overhang. But actually, having hands-on experience with this vehicle, it’s really, really capable.
[00:02:34] Matt Sims: You’ve been out in Germany, at Isny, at the factory where these are built.
[00:02:39] Rob: Yeah.
[00:02:39] Matt Sims: And you’ve been driving them a couple of times. What are they like to drive?
[00:02:43] Rob: Went out to the factory, as you say, and they had a big sort of off-road setup out the back of the factory for us to really put this thing through its paces. And I was blown away, I must admit. Locking differentials, so any sort of sticking points that you were getting when the wheels were coming up, it was really, really capable. And like I say, that approach angle, departure angle.
[00:03:00] Matt Sims: So just explain approach and departure.
[00:03:03] Rob: Oh yeah. Good question. So your approach angle, as you’re coming up and you’ve got an incline, it’s the angle at which the vehicle can actually get up over there. Your breakover angle is if you’re coming over a hump, is how steep that hump can be to get over it. And your departure angle is when you’re coming down off a decline, how well you can actually get down without that rear bumper scraping.
[00:03:25] Matt Sims: Oh, so scraping on the floor.
[00:03:27] Rob: Exactly.
[00:03:27] Matt Sims: I’ve never heard these terms before. But what’s, as a driving experience, is it way different to a front-wheel-drive Fiat Ducato, for example.
[00:03:35] Rob: On the road, very, very similar. Now, I would suggest that the Volkswagen is a little bit more car-like. You’ve got a little bit more sound deadening in that cab. And it is really quite a comfortable, like I say, more car-like experience than I would suggest over the chassis. In an off-road setting, leaps and bounds ahead.
[00:03:52] Matt Sims: Yeah. And how does it compare to the kind of first to the market with a 4×4 camper like this? Mainstream would be Hymer. Yeah. I mean, that’s 140, 150k. This is 40, 50 grand less than that.
[00:04:08] Rob: Yeah. It’s coming in at a really attractive price point, I think. And I think that is, particularly with that Volkswagen chassis, is going to draw the consumer in. You know, we know how popular those Volkswagen chassis are with the likes of the Transporters. There’s thousands and thousands on the road, again particularly in our end of the country. So yeah, I think it’s going to be really quite a popular vehicle.
[00:04:27] Matt Sims: Well, I’ve just spoken to a couple who bought one yesterday.
[00:04:30] Rob: Yeah.
[00:04:30] Matt Sims: One of the first ones into the UK. Not from you, I’m afraid to say, but they’ve got one pegged and they’ll be picking it up in April. And they’ve promised to let me know how they’re getting on with it. So I’ll ask them about their approach angle. And thanks for sharing that. It’s a real insight. It’s great. The trend for 4×4 motorhomes and campervans has become ever more popular, and Bürstner have joined the foray. This is their Habiton on a Mercedes chassis. It certainly looks the part, but what’s unusual about this is not that it’s 4×4 or that it’s on a Mercedes chassis, but it’s only six metres long and has longitudinal beds. Normally a six-metre van means a transverse double bed, and one of you is climbing over the other to get in and out. This has long north-south beds, achieved by an ingenious bathroom that physically moves. All you do is lift the lever on the lounge, slide the seat out of the way, and then slide the entire bathroom pod forward, creating a massive single bed behind it, giving you two large single beds. Ingenious. Now, back in February 2025, I met with Orian and its owner, Mike. This is a husband and wife-backed business and they are growing. And what a great story this is. They had at the time just one van at the show, and here they are with a range of six or more. I’m just going to drag Mike from the stand for a quick chat and a quick update. Now, for anyone who’s been in this industry for any length of time, this is the famous face of Mike Lake. How are you?
[00:06:10] Mike: I’ve never been so wonderfully introduced before. Famous.
[00:06:13] Matt Sims: How long have you been in this industry?
[00:06:15] Mike: 30 plus years, I’m afraid.
[00:06:17] Matt Sims: A long time, man and boy.
[00:06:19] Mike: Man and boy. Yes.
[00:06:20] Matt Sims: When we met at the February show, we were talking, you were launching a brand new product.
[00:06:25] Mike: We were.
[00:06:25] Matt Sims: One van. How many have you got now?
[00:06:28] Mike: Well, six in the range. Oh, and then there’s some Volkswagens and there’s a couple of Fords and, well, ten-ish.
[00:06:34] Matt Sims: And one of the things I love, it’s amazing, you really are growing. It’s such a great success story. Husband and wife-backed, you and Wendy.
[00:06:42] Mike: I’d be lost without Wendy, of course. We all would. Absolutely lost without Wendy. She drives the whole thing forward for me. She’s the reason it’s happening. Yeah. But the other reason it’s happening is obviously there’s a demand for it.
[00:06:54] Matt Sims: One of the things I love that you do is people can choose the chassis that they have the van built on.
[00:06:59] Mike: Absolutely. It’s really, really important. And I think as an industry, maybe we’ve lost sight of that. It’s easy to go and do a deal with Mr Fiat and buy 20,000 vehicles, and then the customer might not actually have a Fiat dealer near him. So although we use the same box van from Stellantis, the customer can choose a Fiat, a Peugeot, a Citroën or a Vauxhall chassis, depending on what suits their local requirements.
[00:07:25] Matt Sims: Love that. That’s turning it on its head. And they get a choice of hundreds of interior finishes.
[00:07:30] Mike: Thousands. We make an appointment for them at Premier Furnishings.
[00:07:34] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:07:34] Mike: And they can go along and sit down with the wonderful Gemma, who will wander through huge amounts of fabric options. I think there are about 4,000 combinations because it’s all very well us as a bunch of manufacturers sitting in a cupboard and going, oh yeah, that’s it, it’s all grey this year or it’s all beige this year. Customer might actually want pink.
[00:07:59] Matt Sims: Right. Okay. So with one of these you can have pink in the front and green in the back and purple on the ceiling. Have you.
[00:08:01] Mike: Ever built a pink, purple and green van? I’d love to.
[00:08:02] Matt Sims: That would be pretty cool.
[00:08:03] Mike: I really.
[00:08:04] Matt Sims: Like Scooby-Doo’s van.
[00:08:05] Mike: Channel my inner rainbow. It’d be super.
[00:08:08] Matt Sims: Steady.
[00:08:09] Mike: In fact, we’re a bit like Zippy and George, me and you.
[00:08:12] Matt Sims: Bungle. Now, we were talking yesterday about the industry and the one we love. Let’s face it, we are very passionate about this place.
[00:08:20] Mike: Truly passionate.
[00:08:21] Matt Sims: Yeah. And you were talking about how we compete with one another as brands, but you were saying there’s a bigger picture.
[00:08:28] Mike: I think it’s a much bigger picture. The industry should really focus on what the customer is spending as their leisure pound. And we’re competing with maybe somebody that might buy a boat, but we’re certainly competing with the TUI’s and the EasyJet’s of this world. They’re the guys whose marketing teams have really got the job screwed on and they’re very, very cleverly taking lots and lots and lots of people’s money off them on a very successful basis every year. We tend to focus on trying to work out why the Truma Combi in my van is better than the Truma Combi in somebody else’s van, and it’s not. You know, we all build these vans out of the same components. Maybe we could be a bit joined up in the way we market as well.
[00:09:11] Matt Sims: Can I say, one of the most experienced voices in the market, what would your message be to the industry itself, to the businesses?
[00:09:19] Mike: Oh, please just work together.
[00:09:21] Matt Sims: Collaborate.
[00:09:22] Mike: Collaborate. Talk with the NCC, talk with the two major clubs in this country and start promoting the hobby, the pastime. Let’s remind people that caravanning in all its forms, it can be cool. You know, it’s not fuddy-duddy. It’s something that the whole family can enjoy. Let’s get back to basics and remind people why they buy one of these machines. It’s freedom.
[00:09:48] Matt Sims: And it’s interesting to see the number of people here at a show for the first time. I’ve been talking to lots of people in the aisles and they’ve never been to a show before. It’s amazing.
[00:09:56] Mike: And then it’s down to us as an industry maybe not to badger them to death when they wander onto our stand. Would you like to buy it? Are you going to have one? Teach them about what it’s all about. Let them talk to other people that are visiting as well.
[00:10:09] Matt Sims: Well, let’s hope we can collaborate more and continue to grow the pastime.
[00:10:13] Mike: I’ll look forward to you leading the charge, Matt.
[00:10:16] Matt Sims: With your help, Mike. I’m on the Elddis stand who have had a massive reinvention of their product range for 2026. And I’m joined by Adam Carmichael, who is the.
[00:10:26] Adam: Sales, product management and marketing director.
[00:10:28] Matt Sims: That’s a long business card.
[00:10:30] Adam: Yes. Yeah. Flip phone-style business card.
[00:10:33] Matt Sims: Now we’re in front of the Whirlwind GT range. We’re all familiar with the Elddis 115, the 120, and all of those model numbers are the same.
[00:10:43] Adam: Yes.
[00:10:43] Matt Sims: But you’ve totally reinvented how they’re built. Tell us more.
[00:10:47] Adam: We brought in the Whirlwind GT range, which completely takes over from the Autoquest product. The Autoquest product still exists, but really fundamentally across all of our motorhomes, we brought in the new ZIP system, which basically means that we have built the motorhomes on this new aluminium frame system, which allows us to join the floors and the walls together in a really robust way, securing the product all internally. So we’re not screwing the product from the outside and giving the potential for water ingress and so on. So it’s a highly technical product with some real learnings from Erwin Hymer Group as well.
[00:11:29] Matt Sims: Yeah. Now, Elddis of course is now part of Erwin Hymer Group, as it has been for a little while. And you’re part of the group, as we call it, or EHG, and you have a focus across all of the brands, very much a focus on the UK. But you say the ZIP system, this is a system that Erwin Hymer Group is using across multiple of its brands.
[00:11:50] Adam: Yes. So the philosophies of using kind of rails to secure floors and walls together is a system that is used across a multitude of the different brands and the different sites. So we have a lot of learnings and data and we have a lot of counterparts over in Europe that we can work together with to use the best tools and techniques to deliver the best quality van possible.
[00:12:12] Matt Sims: And why is it called a ZIP system?
[00:12:14] Adam: The ZIP system comes from the Z-shaped profile of the aluminium frame. It’s kind of zipping the floors and the walls together to give it a really robust seal. But then it’s not just about the aluminium frame as well. We’ve invested a huge amount in material technologies, polypropylene materials for the inner walls. The inner wall is a one-piece wall, plastic-based material, so no chance of kind of damp absorption through the walls and so on. And using plastic-based materials where it’s right to, and using timber where we get the best compression in the right places to really get the kind of most optimum secure design.
[00:12:55] Matt Sims: Okay. So there is still timber in some of the design.
[00:12:58] Adam: Some of the areas where we’re securing furniture to the walls, for instance, or where we need compression because our plastic doesn’t compress anywhere near as well as timber. So we’re using timber in low-risk places where there is no chance for water to get to it, to get in.
[00:13:15] Matt Sims: Yeah. So previously you were using the SoLiD system, but that wasn’t in the motorhomes.
[00:13:20] Adam: No. So we never used that system in the motorhomes. We always used that system in the caravans. It’s still used as a mechanism to attach the floors and walls together, but it’s not used as the primary sealing method anymore. And we’ve now got the same kind of material science as used that we’ve got in the motorhomes, in the caravans as well.
[00:13:41] Matt Sims: So interesting. So for the consumer then, what does this mean?
[00:13:45] Adam: I think it means that you’ve got, especially in the ZIP system on the motorhomes, that you’ve got a really robust, reliable long-term van that we’ve gone through thorough checks on. It’s not just a fresh design. That’s one of the advantages that we’ve got as being part of such a big group. We don’t really have to come up with things from scratch and scratch our heads whether or not it’ll work or not. We’ve got 13 different brands in the group that we can take learnings from. We are really heavily investing our time and our effort, and the group are likewise as well, for our UK facilities.
[00:14:21] Matt Sims: So, and of course recently you launched the panel van range, the CV range.
[00:14:27] Adam: Yes.
[00:14:27] Matt Sims: How are sales of those going?
[00:14:29] Adam: Fantastic. The Whirlwind CV 5.4m was the most enquired about van over the last month, and it’s been the number one-selling salon van at the show. Yesterday, we’re only one day in, but we’ll see how things are going today later on. But it’s been a hugely successful vehicle so far. A new length for us in the range that we knew that we needed, but I don’t think we kind of realised how popular it would be, which is obviously always a nice surprise to have.
[00:14:54] Matt Sims: Lots of manufacturers are doing six metres or less, and that seems to be where growth is.
[00:14:59] Adam: Yes, for sure. I think when we speak to our customers and our owners clubs, shorter lengths that you could use as a replacement for a car, as a second car, that has been a real bonus point. A couple of people have mentioned is, will that fit into a Tesco parking space? But for sure it’s been a hugely successful, at least in its fledgling days, it’s been successful.
[00:15:24] Matt Sims: That’s good to hear. So, Adam, you’re in this exciting new job role where you’ve got this ability to have a helicopter view of the industry and you’ve got vision of what’s going on across all of the Erwin Hymer Group brands. What’s your take for us on the next couple of years? Do you think as an industry.
[00:15:41] Adam: I think there’s two things that are really key things for the industry moving forward. I think there has been a high level of increase in price not aligned to inflation. We have certainly been taking action as a business in order to get competitive prices again. We’ve got campervans that we’ve brought in at kind of a new price level to make things more appealing to the customer. Our caravans, for instance, through kind of advancements that we’ve made in the factory, we’ve reduced by about 9% year on year. And then the motorhomes, they are also at a new competitive price. So I think taking advantage of the improvements that we’ve made will kind of give consumers a better competitive price, a more appealing price point, because I think that will be the real thing over the next few years about who can really deliver the best value for money for the customer. So that’s the first thing. I think the second thing, it comes to, is in terms of lithium-ion batteries, kind of that off-grid functionality, that’s one thing where as being part of the group, again, where you look at what Hymer are doing, where they’re going, investing a lot in that technology at the higher end, as that becomes more prevalent throughout, we can start to get that into the entry-level vehicles at the right time and so on. Higher-powered solar panels and so on, and all of the things that those kind of things facilitate.
[00:17:07] Matt Sims: So, Adam, how long is it then before we see Elddis produce a 4×4 off-grid capable campervan?
[00:17:14] Adam: I think with the Elddis brand, we really stick to what we’re good at in terms of we want to deliver the best value for money for the customers, but we also want to attract new people to the market as well, with, for instance, some of the things that we’ve done on the campervans that are below £60,000, where that is a great option for people, for that represents value for money. And yeah, we’ll let everybody else.
[00:17:38] Matt Sims: Elddis is a household name and long may it continue to be, and long may it continue to improve and grow. And good luck with the challenges you face. You seem to be winning the day.
[00:17:49] Adam: Thank you very much. Yeah. And it would be great to have you at the factory as well.
[00:17:53] Matt Sims: I’m looking forward to it. Yeah. We’re going to head north.
[00:17:56] Adam: Yes.
[00:17:56] Matt Sims: And have a little tour behind the scenes. We’d love to do that in the new year. This is Caravan Radio and Mike has gone to the toilet. I’m gonna take over.
[00:18:18] Keith Gooden: It’s a takeover. It’s a Motorhome Matt podcast takeover. But be careful, you’ve just turned us off. You pressed the wrong button. The big red one is the one you shouldn’t be pressing.
[00:18:27] Matt Sims: It says we’re live on air.
[00:18:29] Keith Gooden: Around the world on Caravan Radio.
[00:18:31] Matt Sims: Welcome to the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2025. Quick, do something serious.
[00:18:35] Keith Gooden: I’ll tell you what. If I press this button, what do you think will happen? Oh no.
[00:18:39] Matt Sims: Nothing. Says eject. Nothing. There it is. We’re back on, we’re back on. Quick. Run away or they’ll never know. Now I’m on a brand that will be known to many of you. Auto-Sleepers has been around forever, it would seem. But things have been changing in the background. And I’m joined by Geoff, who is the CEO of the group behind Auto-Sleepers. Geoff, you’ve had a bit of a rebrand. Just tell us what has happened and why.
[00:19:12] Geoff: What we wanted to do, Matt, is use the skills across the group that we’ve got, both at customer-facing and as Auto-Sleepers, the manufacturing brand, to enhance our, if you like, market penetration or route to market and give the customer a more enhanced, better experience.
[00:19:32] Matt Sims: So the change you’ve made then is you’ve become AS Group.
[00:19:36] Geoff: Indeed we have.
[00:19:37] Matt Sims: But for the consumer.
[00:19:39] Geoff: There is no change. Okay, there is no change. Auto-Sleepers brand is as strong as ever. We are constantly investing in the factory, new model development, and we will continue to do that. It’s one of the strongest brands in the UK and we continue to invest to maintain that.
[00:19:58] Matt Sims: Yeah, and you certainly are a household name here in the UK. And what plans have you got then for the next few years? Can you share anything exclusive?
[00:20:06] Geoff: Well, we’ve got our 65th anniversary next year. To celebrate that we’ll be launching some very exclusive new models to celebrate that momentous occasion. We’ve got big plans to expand the factory. We’ve acquired some land adjacent to our existing factory. We’re making investments there and investments in our staff and training, all to improve the customer experience and our models.
[00:20:32] Matt Sims: So the going is good. Auto-Sleepers and the future is going to be red and blue.
[00:20:37] Geoff: Absolutely. Very much so. Yeah.
[00:20:39] Matt Sims: Thanks for talking to me, Geoff. I wish you every success for the next few years. I think we’re in for an easier ride. Let’s hope.
[00:20:44] Geoff: Let’s hope indeed.
[00:20:46] Matt Sims: I’m joined by Mel here at the big show. Welcome to the stand.
[00:20:49] Mel: Thank you.
[00:20:49] Matt Sims: Now, Mel, you’re renowned for having a UK call centre, a really helpful team that you lead in Manchester, but you’ve been changing things online. Tell me more.
[00:20:59] Mel: Yeah. So what we’ve realised is that people don’t always want to speak to us. They might not have the time. So what we’ve done, we’ve developed also now our online area. So what you can do is, if you need to make any changes to policies such as changing your vehicle, if you’ve had a bit of an upgrade, what you can do is log on to your online account and do that online in a couple of minutes, rather than trying to speak to us when you just don’t have the time.
[00:21:19] Matt Sims: So now changes can be made without speaking to you. But people want to speak to you. They still can.
[00:21:24] Mel: Oh, yes. You can speak to us and you can also speak to us on live chat, email. There’s lots of different ways.
[00:21:29] Matt Sims: So remember, you can save 15% off your premium with Ripe. Just click the link in the episode description. I’m with Jodie from Highbridge Caravans. How are you?
[00:21:46] Jodie: Very good. And yourself?
[00:21:48] Matt Sims: I’m good. Yeah. You having a good show?
[00:21:49] Jodie: Excellent so far. Yeah, really, really good.
[00:21:51] Matt Sims: Now, you think this week’s hard work. You’re about to undertake quite a challenge. All in aid of Children’s Hospice South West. The 4th of November, you are intent on driving a campervan from Land’s End to John O’Groats, stopping at numerous places on the way in a very short space of time. Just tell us what the route is going to encompass first.
[00:22:10] Jodie: Yeah, so we’ve got 24 hours. We’re going to leave Land’s End at 4:00 in the morning, and then we’re going to go to both Highbridge branches and then Bailey of Bristol, Hillside in Derbyshire, WildAx in Yorkshire, and then on to Swift and Coachman, and then finally to Elddis, and then all the way to John O’Groats. And we’ve got 24 hours to do it, and that’s 22.5 hours on Google Maps with no stops.
[00:22:38] Matt Sims: Hey, how are you going to do that?
[00:22:40] Jodie: With great difficulty. So there’s going to be a team of three of us driving. It’s all for charity, so we’re going to be trying our best. And then one filming. And we think if we do it on two tanks of fuel, we will make it with about one mile of range left and about 30 seconds. And if we don’t do it, I’m going to have to jump into Loch Ness on the way back, which is really bad, as I can’t swim and I’m scared of water. So I really want to make it. Yeah.
[00:23:09] Matt Sims: So the pedal to the metal. When you’re at each stop, what are you going to do?
[00:23:13] Jodie: Well, literally we’re not going to stop for very long. So we’re going to jump out. Quick photograph in front of the factory. Use the loo.
[00:23:20] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:23:20] Jodie: Well, yes, we do have a loo in the van for emergencies. But yeah, quick photo, quick update of the socials and then on to the next one basically, with a couple of fuel stops built in.
[00:23:30] Matt Sims: So as I say, this is for charity, so you’re looking for sponsors.
[00:23:35] Jodie: Yes.
[00:23:36] Matt Sims: How do people get involved?
[00:23:36] Jodie: So you can go on the Highbridge Caravans website, which is highbridgecaravans.co.uk, and you’ll see the QR code to the JustGiving page there. Anybody can sponsor us. Anything, be it a penny or a pound. It’s all for South West Children’s Hospice, which Highbridge have been supporting for over 40 years now. So it’s a really good cause. And yeah, it’s a bit of a celebration of 60 years of Highbridge and the British caravan industry, and it’s all for charity, and I’m terrified of it, so it’ll be good fun.
[00:24:03] Matt Sims: You do look a little bit scared, I’m not going to lie. Well, good luck and I wish you every success. And don’t get too wet.
[00:24:08] Jodie: Never. I’ll try my best.
[00:24:10] Matt Sims: Wandering around the show, it still intrigues me, the lack of electric campervans on offer. Apart from one. This is the Panama. It’s a hybrid campervan, so it’s petrol and electric. Let’s take a look inside. And who should we discover in it but my good friend Paul Kirby, the Electric Van Man. Paul, welcome to the show.
[00:24:28] Paul: Thank you very much.
[00:24:29] Matt Sims: I thought if I was going to find you anywhere, it would be in a sort of electric campervan.
[00:24:34] Paul: Well, this is as good as it gets, isn’t it? Well, here anyway.
[00:24:37] Matt Sims: There just aren’t any here, are they?
[00:24:39] Paul: It doesn’t appear so. People have told me that there’s a talk on electric vehicles towing, which is helpful, but nothing else.
[00:24:47] Matt Sims: No. Andrew Ditton was doing a talk on towing a caravan with an electric car. It’s something he’s very passionate about. He’s done thousands of miles doing just that. And I think there’s a movement toward electric. The audience visiting this show, many of them have turned up in an EV, but we are not ready, are we, as an industry for this big change that’s coming in now less than ten years?
[00:25:10] Paul: Well, I mean, by 2030, 70% of all vehicles sold in this sector will be electric. So you’ll be fighting very hard for the few diesel vans that are being sold. So no, you’re not ready. And the reality is, I’ve been speaking to people as I’ve been going around the show just asking them, are you ready for electric? What do you think about electric? And many people are very cognisant of the fact that it’s going to happen, but they are very aware that there’s no information available here, you know, on this stand or on any stand really, about truly going fully electric and the reality of the future.
[00:25:46] Matt Sims: What do we need to do then as an industry to get ready? What do we need to change?
[00:25:51] Paul: Well, podcasts, Matt.
[00:25:53] Matt Sims: Well, we try. I mean, you and I have done loads of content on the podcast.
[00:25:57] Paul: Warner shows we’ve been to.
[00:25:58] Matt Sims: And our shows.
[00:25:58] Paul: We’ve been to. And I mean, I’m a little disappointed that there’s not very much here in this big show electric. Whereas, you know, many other automotive sector shows, commercial vehicle show, other shows like that are, you know, the decarbonisation of vehicles is front and centre. It’s a huge challenge and I think it’s going to be a huge challenge for this sector. If it was me, I’d be putting some things in these shows in every show as being on electric, dedicated and helping people understand these steps that are going to happen.
[00:26:33] Matt Sims: You say steps. I mean, this is kind of a stepping stone. This is petrol and electric. So in 2035 this won’t be made anymore as a donor chassis because it’s internal combustion. So this has a limited shelf life as a product. But I think it’s kind of a sensible thing to have in our kind of offering at the moment. Would you agree?
[00:26:56] Paul: I would agree. I think it’s going to be very limited, because none of the other manufacturers typically have a plug-in hybrid option, and the only reason that we see it in this is because it first came in the Puma and the other car product and then into their pickup truck and then, of course, this vehicle. So I don’t expect to see other manufacturers coming along because the technology is defunct from 2035. It won’t be permitted. And to get any kind of sales in that period of time are going to be very, very unlikely. So I think we’ll see it here, but we’re actually going to have to make the bigger step straight to electric with many of the products on the market. But with the range that’s available on some of them already, I think many people would be convinced that actually this could work.
[00:27:42] Matt Sims: I know you’re working with a number of manufacturers and converters, campervan converters, to create an electric campervan. So they’re not here yet, but they’re coming, aren’t they?
[00:27:53] Paul: Yeah, they are coming. I mean, we’ve seen conversions done on the VW ID. Buzz. We’ve seen conversions done on the Maxus eDeliver 9, that with just 120 miles range, sort of the van, I think you would call it. But yes, Farizon is one that have courted this market, and we expect to see the first converted Farizon coming from Wellhouse in the not-too-distant future. Other companies have expressed an interest in converting the Farizon because it comes with V2L power outlets, and it comes with quite a low entry and a nice wide space in the front there. You can, you know, the door can be 2.1m wide, and that is fantastic to let the outside in. So there’s a lot of interesting things happening in the space, and hopefully they’ll be suitable for the campervan and motorhome market.
[00:28:42] Matt Sims: Well, we’ll work together to keep persuading manufacturers if they’re listening. Let’s hope they are. You know, we need more electric offering. This change is afoot. It’s happening. It’s coming. And what’s interesting, as I say, is the consumers here are starting to get ready for it, aren’t they? There’s an appetite now.
[00:29:01] Paul: Every person I’ve spoken to is aware of it.
[00:29:03] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:29:03] Paul: They are interested in it. And as you pointed out, they’re either driving here in an electric vehicle or, you know, they’ve seen their neighbours with an electric vehicle. They’re getting their charge point at home. All of those different things. And they’re now going, well, hang on. I want to have minimal impact on my environment as I go about my campervanning life. I’m going gasless. I’m going electric in that. I want to go electric on the base vehicle too.
[00:29:28] Matt Sims: And can we get you in a campervan yet?
[00:29:30] Paul: Yeah. Quite possible, quite possible. But there’s nothing electric here. I would like to, but I would like to own an electric one.
[00:29:37] Matt Sims: So you’re going to wait?
[00:29:38] Paul: I’m going to have to if I want an electric one.
[00:29:40] Matt Sims: You are going to have to wait, I’m afraid. Yeah, if that’s the case. Great to see you. Don’t get banned from the show again.
[00:29:46] Paul: I’ll try not to.
[00:29:47] Matt Sims: So just about to leave the stand and I bump into another industry face, famous behind the scenes. Ryan Bowdidge, you are head of leisure at Ford?
[00:29:56] Ryan: Yes. That’s correct. Yeah. Good to see you again, Matt. It’s been a little while.
[00:29:58] Matt Sims: It’s been a little while, but you are in charge, for those that don’t know who you are, of all leisure vehicles coming into the motorhome campervan market with a Ford badge on the grille. Is that right?
[00:30:07] Ryan: Yeah. That’s correct. Yeah. For the whole of Europe. So yeah.
[00:30:10] Matt Sims: That’s quite a responsibility.
[00:30:11] Ryan: It’s a big responsibility, certainly in the last few years because we’ve been growing and growing. So yeah, absolutely.
[00:30:15] Matt Sims: Well, you certainly have. I mean it’s interesting talking statistics just now, I heard a fact that Ford now have about 25% of the motorhome campervan market, where it used to be less than half that not that long ago.
[00:30:28] Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. In fact, if you look back probably about seven or eight years ago, we used to be about the number seven OEM overall within the leisure industry. We’ve now crept up to the number two spot, which is great. But yeah, for this year in the UK registrations, we’re looking at about 25%, maybe a little bit more than that. So we’re really chuffed. We’re really pleased.
[00:30:49] Matt Sims: Of course you are. Yeah. And hopefully some further growth. But I’ve got an insight into why that might be hampered a bit, but I’m going to throw that at you in a second. I’ve just been chatting with Paul Kirby, the electric van man, someone you know well.
[00:31:06] Ryan: Yes.
[00:31:06] Matt Sims: And we’ve been sat in the Panama, the hybrid. Is it Transit Custom or what is it?
[00:31:11] Ryan: Yeah. So this is actually based on the Custom Camper donor. So we at Ford have got a dedicated body style just for the camper business. And this is a great example of that.
[00:31:16] Matt Sims: Okay. Now we described it as a stepping stone. Paul was slightly more damning of it than that. But he is all electric. That’s his passion. We need a stepping stone to get to E-vans. You’ve been wandering around the show and you’ve not seen a single electric motorhome or campervan. Where are we with manufacturers taking the plunge with an E-Transit going forward?
[00:31:38] Ryan: Yeah. I mean, in terms of leisure manufacturers, so what I think of as converters, I’d say that the penetration there is really, really limited. I mean, as I go, I’ve been, this is the fifth show I’ve done in the last six weeks. The electric vehicles I’ve seen have numbered in the single digits. Right. It’s one at a show, maybe two at a show at best. So the penetration there is very limited.
[00:31:58] Matt Sims: And these are big shows as well with thousands of vehicles.
[00:32:01] Ryan: Yeah. I mean, just take Düsseldorf, right? I think there’s 250,000 people go to that show. You know, thousands of vehicles, hundreds of manufacturers, and there was probably, I’d say, a handful you could count on one hand, I’d imagine, how many electric camper vehicles there were at that show, which is just, you know, surprising, right, where we’re at nowadays. So yeah. So it’s good that we’ve got some examples behind us. As you say, they’re based on a hybrid platform, so not fully electric, but yeah, it’s a way for customers to start to get involved with an electric camper experience. So it is kind of a stepping stone, but hopefully that’s a lift-off point for them taking the next leap, which will be into a fully electric.
[00:32:40] Matt Sims: So in 2026, can you tell me how many converters are working with an all-electric Ford product?
[00:32:48] Ryan: Oh, I think that’s something like zero in terms of, in terms of, let’s say an actual product there that’s being mass-produced and is available to buy, it’s zero. It’s zero. There’s say, there’s a couple of manufacturers. Like a good example was Dethleffs just recently. They had one vehicle on an E-Transit. But it’s very much a prototype. It’s a demonstration of something that they could do, but at the minute they’re choosing not to mass-produce that vehicle. So yeah.
[00:33:18] Matt Sims: But isn’t it concerning that in just four years’ time, 70% of new builds have to be non-ICE?
[00:33:23] Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. The clock’s ticking, right? I mean, the thing we’ve got to see is whether, of course, whether the governments change their mind. There’s been a few changes in direction recently with mobility. So whether that changes again, we don’t know. But you’re absolutely right. The clock’s ticking and it’s not something that you can suddenly do in the last minute. Right. So we’re not going to suddenly go from nothing to 100% in the space of a year. And there’s not many years left until we get to that point. So when’s it coming? I think the big question.
[00:33:51] Matt Sims: You’ve got your job cut out then. And I want to be part of this because we need to start the transition to electric motorhomes. It’s interesting. I was saying to Paul that we’re starting to see people coming to the show, they’ve driven here in an electric car. So there’s now a motion and a movement from the consumer who’s willing to consider, or they have a desire for an electric campervan, and the consumers are what’s needed to drive the change. Maybe that demand isn’t strong enough at the moment, but we’ve got some work to do, haven’t we?
[00:34:22] Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. And I think it’s interesting you related back to the electric cars then, because I think that’s why we’ll probably see a bigger uptake in electric smaller campervans. Right. Because what we can see behind us is more used as a second vehicle. It’s more like a passenger car in a way. So I think we’ll see growth here first. But in the end that needs to transition to the larger motorhomes, the semi-integrated, all of that stuff as well. So yeah.
[00:34:50] Matt Sims: So I mentioned there’s a resistance to the Ford badge, and it’s dead simple why. We’re surrounded on a stand here on the Marquis stand by Benimar, we’ve got Chausson over there and they’re all donning a Ford badge, Roller Team as well. And now Adria, of course, have got their range on Ford too. But the big fear people have is the wet belt. They’re scared to buy a Ford-based motorhome because of the wet belt.
[00:35:17] Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. And unfortunately, as I’m starting to engage with dealers and retailers, it’s a subject that comes up every conversation I have, which is really unfortunate. So I think, first of all, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. I mean, you can go onto YouTube, you can type in wet belt and you’ll see these videos with many, many views which are effectively one-off horror stories. I think the important thing, especially for the leisure business and for leisure customers, is first of all how they treat their vehicles. So in the world of leisure, you’re typically doing few miles on average. You know, you’re doing maybe four or five thousand miles a year. The journeys that are being performed are relatively long journeys. They’re not stop-start. And that’s important. I’ll explain that in a minute. But they’re maintained very well. And maintenance of the vehicle, which sounds so simple, is really important. So in terms of what is the core, shall we say, of typical wet belt failure or powertrain failure, it’s something called oil dilution. So when the quality of the oil degrades, of course the belt is running in that oil and so it can degrade the belt. So looking after your oils is really important. If you do lots of stop-start journeys, oil dilution occurs. And you can imagine there’s certain types of use case where they’re doing lots of stop-start journeys.
[00:36:33] Matt Sims: Delivery drivers, for example.
[00:36:34] Ryan: Yeah, for example. But that’s not true for leisure, right? So leisure are not doing that type of use case. Now because of all the questions I’ve had on this topic, I did a little bit of research into the data that we’ve got access to. And what I can see is that the incident rate in the case of leisure vehicles related to wet belt failure, issues to do with that, the incident rate is very, very small. It’s something like one in 10,000 vehicles, right, that we’ve seen from our data for the last few years where there’s been a leisure vehicle that’s had some issue related to the wet belt. So very, very small.
[00:37:11] Matt Sims: So what would you say then to someone looking at a motorhome that’s on a Ford Transit? They don’t have a choice of any other chassis. What would your message to them be?
[00:37:19] Ryan: Yeah, I’d say have full confidence. Have full confidence. I mean, here in the UK, first of all, you’re backed up by a three-year warranty, of course. But even beyond that, again, the evidence suggests that as long as you maintain your vehicle, and I can’t stress that enough, right, and as long as you use things such as FordPass, which can tell you the oil life within your vehicle and listen to that and make sure you act to it. If it’s telling you to do something, do it. But if you maintain your vehicle, look after it, treat it well, you should not have any fears.
[00:37:51] Matt Sims: Okay. Well there, you heard it first. Well, maybe not first, but from the horse’s mouth, as it were, the man that sells Ford is telling you to have every confidence in Ford. But what you’re saying is maintenance. Maintenance is key. And use FordPass. I mean, I’d never considered that before.
[00:38:07] Ryan: Yeah, it’s probably one of our best-kept secrets. But with a very simple download of an app, activate your FordPass app on your phone. It works on Android and Apple, of course. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s absolutely free. But it can actually give you a lot of information about the vehicle. The vehicle helps simple things like tyre pressures. But on top of that, it’s got oil life information on there. So you can follow it as you please. And if it’s telling you you need an oil change, get your oil change. Do it, do it.
[00:38:35] Matt Sims: And use the right oil as well.
[00:38:37] Ryan: Absolutely. Yeah. You’ve got to use the right oil. You know, get it maintained and serviced to what we say is the manufacturer’s recommendations. And if you do that, then I’m confident that you won’t have a wet belt issue.
[00:38:49] Matt Sims: There we are. Ryan, thanks so much for taking the time out to speak to me. It’s great to see you at the show again, and I wish you every success and continued growth. And may we see more Ford badges on the front of motorhomes.
[00:39:00] Ryan: Yeah. Thank you, Matt. Good to see you again.
[00:39:01] Matt Sims: Yeah, great.
[00:39:02] Keith Gooden: And we’re still here at the NEC at the big show. And where is Matt? He’s been out and about and looking, and he’s been looking in depth, haven’t you?
[00:39:10] Matt Sims: I’m here, I’m here, I’m here, I’m back, I’m back. Just about. I’m exhausted.
[00:39:14] Keith Gooden: Are you? And you had a dicky heart as well, I know.
[00:39:17] Matt Sims: Yeah. Do you know what? Hundreds of people have wished me well. It has been overwhelming. I’m not going to lie. I’ve said this many times, haven’t I? But honestly, what a brilliant community of people we are. We’re very lucky. I feel very blessed. Jude’s been on the stand throughout the week, and she has said thousands of people have been coming on wishing me well. So thank you to everybody who has done just that. I really appreciate it.
[00:39:40] Keith Gooden: And if you’re listening for the first time, Jude is Mrs Motorhome Matt.
[00:39:44] Matt Sims: Although you can see Matt’s going for a heartbreaking. I am. But she is Mrs Motorhome Matt, you’re right.
[00:39:49] Keith Gooden: By the time this goes out, he will have all been done and they will have strapped him up and stapled him. So, Matt, just a quick line because we’re going to be going more in depth next week with what the future holds for the motorhome and campervan industry, but just a really quick one from you about your impressions for 2026 from this show.
[00:40:10] Matt Sims: I’m enthused by the number of people here for the first time. Dealers seem to be energetic about the future, optimistic and looking forward to it. Sales are happening. I’ve not yet spoken to a dealer who’s not sold something. They might have sold their soul, but most of them have sold something. So yeah, I think we’re an industry still that’s buoyant. Prices seem to be levelling out and supply is good. So the market for new motorhomes is, I think, as strong as ever.
[00:40:38] Keith Gooden: But listen, listen closely. Next week’s episode, we’ll be giving you a lot more information. And thanks to everybody who’s been dropping into the stand at the NEC show. It was overwhelming. Four years ago, everybody was saying, what’s a podcast? Nobody says that anymore. And so many of you are coming up and saying how much they enjoy it. And really, we appreciate that from the heart of my bottom. Really, really. How do people get in touch?
[00:41:04] Matt Sims: We’d love it if you did. Just head to mhmp.info/askmatt. You can press that little orange button and record your question. Please tell us where in the world you are if you do that, or you can fill out the form and we’ll read it out for you.
[00:41:16] Keith Gooden: And you can ding-a-ling the bell as well.
[00:41:18] Matt Sims: We’d love that if you did too. If you’re watching on YouTube, press subscribe and the little bell. If you’re listening, click follow on your favourite podcast app.
[00:41:28] Keith Gooden: Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.
