RV News: Airstream Partners with Iconic Italian Design Studio, VW’s High-Tech E-Bike, and More
Other stories include a new adventure truck, a rooftop tent for Rivian EVs, and two new camper vans from Roadtrek.
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Airstream/Andrew Pielage
It’s Friday, which can mean only one thing: It’s time for our weekly roundup of the latest news from the RV and camping industries. Here are the stories from this past week that you might want to know about:
Photo Credit: Airstream
- Airstream Partners with Pininfarina on Future Designs: Two iconic brands are coming together to chart a course for the future of RV design. This week, Airstream announced that it is collaborating with famous Italian automotive design studio Pininfarina in an effort to refresh and modernize the legendary silver bullet exterior of the RV manufacturer’s travel trailers. What exactly that will look like remains to be seen, and there is no timeline on when anything will come from this partnership, but we are definitely excited to learn more. Click here for further details.
Photo Credit: Tiger Adventure Vehicles
- Tiger Adventure Vehicles to Debut New Rig at Overland Expo Mountain West: Overland Expo Mountain West is set to take place this weekend in Loveland, CO, with dozens of vehicle and gear manufacturers on hand to show off their latest wares. Among them will be Tiger Adventure Vehicles, which will use the event to debut a new model called the Panthera 200. This truck-based overlanding vehicle rides on the Ford F-350 chassis in single or extended cab form. Highlights include a full-size bed with a skylight for stargazing, a 1200Ah lithium battery pack, up to 600W of solar, and four-season insulation and construction. Get the full details here.
Photo Credit: Roadtrek
- Roadtrek Plans Two New Models: There was big news from Class B manufacturer Roadtrek this week, as the company announced that it is not only partnering with a new dealer (Lazydays RV of Tampa), but is also set to reveal two new models. Most of the details of the new Class B rigs are being kept under wraps for now, but we do know that they will both be built on the Ford Transit chassis, with the first rig set to be revealed in September. RV News has more information here.
Photo Credit: Grounded
- Grounded Moves to Larger Facility and Secures $5 Million Investment: Grounded, the Detroit-based manufacturer of electric RVs and specialty support vehicles, announced this week that it has secured a $5 million seed round of investment money, while also moving to a larger production facility. The cash influx will help with expanding operations, which will come courtesy of a 50,000-square-foot factory in Detroit that increases capacity by 1900%. RV Business has the details here.
Photo Credit: iKamper
- Rivian and iKamper Collab on New Rooftop Tents: EV manufacturer Rivian and vehicle accessory maker iKamper are joining forces once again. The two brands have worked together in the past to make rooftop tents branded for Rivian’s R1T and R1S electric truck and SUV, respectively. But now, they’re back with new models that offer a smaller, more streamlined profile that also works on the recently launched R2 model. The new Skycamp 4.0 is available in DLX Duo (for the R1T) and DLX Trio (R1S/R2) variations that include Rivian-specific sizing, more interior space, integrated LED lighting and power, HVAC passthrough, and a slew of other features. Check it out here.
Photo Credit: Off-Road Travel TV
- 4WD vs. AWD vs. 4×4 and How They Differ: Modern vehicle manufacturers offer us a range of different drive systems to help make it easier when wandering off-road. Those include all-wheel-drive (AWD), four-wheel-drive (4×4), and full-time four-wheel-drive. Understanding how each of those works can be a bit confusing, but is important to understanding your vehicle’s capabilities. This week, our friends over at GearJunkie wrote a nice primer explaining the similarities, differences, and why it matters. Read it here.
Photo Credit: Volkswagen
- Volkswagen Launches High-Tech E-Bike with Smart Glasses and a Smart Helmet: E-bikes continue to be incredibly popular with RVers, and for good reason. They’re a great way to explore a large campground or other destinations that you’re visiting, and they’re relatively easy to bring along with you when camping. This week, Volkswagen unveiled a new model that features some crazy specs and tech, including a range of up to 99 miles with pedal assist speeds of up to 16 mph. That alone isn’t especially notable, but the bike also comes with built-in cameras and radar to monitor approaching traffic and alert riders when cars are getting too close, even displaying the approaching vehicle on the bike’s LCD screen. But that’s just the start; VW is also launching a pair of smart sunglasses that give riders a head-up display with navigational cues, current speed, distance, battery charge, and more. Additionally, the automaker is also adding a smart helmet to the mix, which connects with the bike’s cameras and radar for further alerts and includes a built-in 500 lumen LED to increase visibility. The light even indicates turn signals and braking. Autoevolution has the full scoop here.
Photo Credit: Love’s Travel Stops
- Loves Adds New RV Location in Texas with Grand Re-Openings Elsewhere: Love’s Travel Stops continues to expand its operations with further locations now catering to RVers. This week, the company announced a new location in Premont, TX that includes four RV hookups, a Godfather’s Pizza, and other amenities. Additionally, Love’s also celebrated the re-opening of locations in Waco, GA; Lordsburg, NM; Greenville, IL; Conneaut, OH; Walters, OK; and Baxter, TN. Those locations were recently remodeled to bring modern amenities, improve traffic flow, and enhance the customer experience. Read more here.
Photo Credit: Blu Technology
- Blu Technology Earns Spot on Inc. 5000 List: Last week we told you that AEONrv and Remote Vans both earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. This week, you can add Blu Technology to that exclusive group, too. If you’re not familiar with Blu, it makes water filtration systems for the RV industry, and reportedly grew at a rate of 719% over a three-year period, earning it the 476th spot on the list. To put that in perspective, the average company growth rate is 130%. Congrats to Blu Technology on the much-deserved success.
That’s a wrap for this week. See you next Friday for another edition of our weekly RV news roundup.
Kraig Becker is a writer in the RV, outdoors, and adventure travel space. Over the course of his career he has contributed to such outlets as Popular Mechanics, Outside Online, Business Insider, TripSavvy, Digital Trends, GearJunkie, The Adventure Blog, and countless others. An avid runner and cyclist, he enjoys camping, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and just about any other outdoor activity. His travels have taken him to seven continents and on many amazing adventures.
