About 1998, I bought a new Monza 5-berth. Compared to my new 460/2-berth of similar body size, with all the extras for comfort, the Monza was quite lightweight.
It would be difficult to get weights down, and keep the luxurious specifications, without a radical change to lghter materials. These would have to retain at least the strength of existing materials, or complaints regarding durability would soar.
Radically new materials would also cause significant price increases, which would drive customers towards vans with the present type of construction. So the first van manufacturer to go down the "new materials" road will have to be brave.
It may be possible to lighten vans by going over to carbon-fibre chassis. There are two obvious downsides to this:
(1) Cost, involving extensive and expensive retooling.
(2) The lighter chassis would raise the centre of gravity of the van. This would reduce its stability in crosswinds, or when overtaken by a large vehicle.
In the longer term, I believe that the availability and performance of economical tow cars, within the reach of the average caravan owner, will dictate many of the decisions for future caravan design. A further dilemma for van manufacturers is the possibility that heavier secondhand vans may not be suitable for towing with the lighter vehicles which will be forced onto us in the quest to reduce greenhouse gases. A quest which I think most of us accept as unavoidable.
Because, if these secondhand vans won't sell, then dealers will not accept them in part ex. And the van makers are not going to risk expense in producing vans that cannot be sold, due to the vans we have now becoming non-viable in the marketplace.
The next ten years will be very interesting.
Bertie.
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The 2 Tops
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Topic: Avondale - a rant!
