Home on wheels: Pandemic revives interest in recreational vehicles

Some weeks ago, IT project manager Smitha V, her husband and their two children decided to rent a camper and drive down to Bheemeshwari, a jungle resort near Bengaluru. The experience, she says, was a welcome break from working from home under lockdown, especially for the kids who couldn’t get over the idea of being in a “house on wheels”.  The hygiene levels in the recreational vehicle (RV) were what she would deploy in her own home. The driver and tour guide were sealed off in the front. The refrigerator, restrooms and beds were spick and span, and comfortable — perfect for a weekend out.

Motorhomes are emerging as a safe option for families who want to travel lock, stock, and barrel to weekend getaways but are also determined to stay contactless while on the road. These homes on wheels come equipped with a bathroom, beds, a lounge area and a kitchenette, thereby reducing the need to step into the world outside. Such vehicles can be rented, or bought and customised. A handful of players, who see it as a business with a potential, are building them ground up.

Bengaluru-based LuxeCamper, which is backed by investors that include cricketer Anil Kumble, rents out caravans with beds, refrigerators and toilets for four. Starting at Rs 15,000 a day, these caravans offer trips to Hampi and other areas around Bengaluru.

LuxeCamper got into business just about a month-and-a-half ago. The campers, says its founder Tiger Ramesh, are built on an Ashok Leyland platform. “We build on the body and then fit it out with caravan interiors,” he says, adding that the vehicles have been approved by the central and state governments for roadworthiness.
 

LuxeCamper currently has two vehicles and plans to add eight more by the end of the year. Ramesh says both the buses have been on the road for around 30 days and since the launch, he has received 200 enquiries for trips.

 

 

Motorhomes are registered as special purpose vehicles. The owners have to pay 18 per cent tax on conversion and 28 per cent on complete vehicles.

The Radisson Hotel in Gurugram also launched a similar offering, Luxewheels, recently. Conceptualised by DC Design, the vehicle features an Isuzu engine and LED TVs, Bose speakers, shower cubicles, airplane-grade upholstery and refreshments. Gaurav Mehta, the hotel’s general manager, says they are booked for the next few weekends.

Pinnacle Specialty Vehicles, a specialist in reconfiguring automobiles, recently delivered over a hundred repurposed laboratories on wheels for Covid-19 testing to the Tamil Nadu government. The company is also looking at recreational vehicles. Pinnacle Chairman Sudhir Mehta says the pent-up demand will get people to want to travel and undertake leisure activities such as picnics and road trips. “Travelling in one’s own RV is one way of reducing the risk of infection,” he says.

Motorhomes are a tiny but growing segment in India, says DC Design Founder Dilip Chhabria who has been in the business of customising automobiles for over two decades. Chhabria has laboured over some 500 RVs, a bulk of them Eicher Trucks, BharatBenz buses and the 12-metre, rear-engine Isuzu vehicles.

In India, RVs or motorhomes are a niche segment. Only 100 to 150 units are sold in a year compared to the US where about 600,000 vehicles are sold per year, says Chhabria. “Parks and outdoor facilities in India are yet to evolve with regards to docking spaces and areas for refuelling. And the vehicles themselves are not pure-play motorhomes, like in the West, but commercial vehicles that have been repurposed to do the job,” he explains.

The key difference is that RVs abroad feature motorhomes that are hitched to trailers and can be detached and used as actual homes. In India, the interiors of buses, trucks or vans are converted.

Customising a vehicle into a motorhome can cost between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 40 lakh, depending on the size and extent of overhaul.

Ramesh is confident that this category is here to stay. “It could even lead to an Airbnb-style business model.”