Caravan irony
▶ I was at the Motorhome and Caravan show back in October – a hugely enjoyable event – even if you’re only vaguely into such things. As long-suffering subscribers know, I do like to drag my ‘tin tent’ (more accurately described as a fibreglass horror) around Europe.
However, as a previous employee of a UK manufacturer featured on BBC TV’S Watchdog programme (in fairness it was always good for overtime being pilloried on that show), I couldn’t help but smirk at the irony of the celebrity opening the show being Matt Allwright. If there is any industry that makes the motor trade seem as honest and as diligent as the local postmistress, it’s the leisure industry.
That aside, it’s interesting to note the completely disparate courses the motor trade and the leisure aspect of the motor industry are taking, both technically and commercially. As an example, I was talking to a rep from the industry’s main (separate) chassis supplier, itself an archaic concept to cars. They had rightly been pushing for the industry to adapt a self-adjusting mechanism for the (still!) mechanical drum brakes of a caravan
– a worthy safety feature and one that was taken up by the motor industry many decades ago. One of the bigger UK caravan manufacturers had just recently adapted this feature. But as no other manufacturer followed suit, they dropped it after just one season.
Commercially, the stands are staffed by those who work in the design and manufacture of the products, and by those who sell them from the various dealers around the country for a living. Here you have product knowledge and keen salesmanship eagerly on-hand. Believe me, you go armed with a cheque book at your peril; even I’ve been known to wake up the following morning staring at a slip showing a deposit for a build slot. Dealers shamelessly jostle to sell you their allocation of product.
While I’m no fan of complexity for the sake of it, one can’t help but be amazed at the vast differences in technology and legislation between the tow car and the trailer or caravan being towed. Anyway, as this show is as close as we get to a motor show – with over 94,000 visitors – the likes of Jeep and Ssangyong were displaying and offering test drives, while Ford, Fiat and VW commercials were present with strong technical displays. Even Morgan can sometimes be found there.