BMW has tried to fix caravans

By topgear, 10 January 2019

BMW’s new concept should be music to the eyes and ears of anyone who has been stuck behind a caravan on a B road. 

The trend in motoring for ever bigger cars has been accompanied by an ability to pull larger loads, and as such, caravans have become even bigger fibreglass behemoths.

Now though, BMW’s Designworks team have collaborated with American outdoor enthusiasts The North Face to redesign the traditional home on wheels.

Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the ‘Futurelight’ Camper is made from a lightweight fabric stretched over a tubular frame, creating a caravan that would look more at home with Matt Damon on Mars than in the Somerset countryside.

BMW says the camper was inspired by the Gina concept car that we first caught a glimpse of back in 2008. That now infamous vision of the future utilised BMW’s own flexible skin, but this time the Germans have used The North Face’s own technical fabric to make something ready for production.

While the American company may be more used to making coats rather than caravans, Futurelight is said to be the world’s most advanced, breathable and waterproof material.

Inside space looks to be at a premium so we’d advise against a week-long family holiday. Has BMW changed caravanning forever, or are we destined to be stuck behind the same boxes on wheels when summer rolls around?