A living legend: Westfalia presents five new models at the Caravan Salon [23.08.2012]

These are the customers Westfalia managing director Mike Reuer wants to focus on when he talks about developing a product portfolio that offers an attractive vehicle for anyone who is interested in box vans, from the folding roof to the high roof, from the entry version to the top of the range segment. Westfalia’s traditional partners in the automobile industry understand that we are going to concentrate on our own vehicles in future. For more than 60 years Westfalia’s own developments have driven the company’s success and innovative power and they continue to do so. Recalling our old virtues is somehow a way of getting back to our roots. The most striking new product development that will greet visitors in Düsseldorf also features these characteristics. The new Club Joker uses the VW T5 transit van as the basic vehicle, thus linking up again with the driving characteristics of the automobile chassis from Wolfsburg and continuing the tradition Westfalia started 61 years ago. This was a VW minibus which had to be converted for a British officer stationed in Germany. This is how the SO23 first arose. The first Westfalia motor home became the founding father of the company’s current success. Out of the 500,000 motor homes that have left our works in Wiedenbrück, more than 400,000 were probably converted VW minibusses, from the T1 developmental stage in the 1950s to the 1990s model based on the T4 transit van known as the California Exclusive.

Westfalia’s history has certainly had its fair share of ups and downs, especially in the past 20 years. There were several changes of owners and strategies, the company was split up, new groups were created and at one point there was an insolvency procedure under the aegis of a financial investor with a clear focus on shareholder value. Given this history, it is amazing that despite all the stormy times there are still many people in the company who have been working for Westfalia for more than 30 years. Wesfalia’s production manager Willi Pierenkemper once stated the reason when another company tried to headhunt him: “You only make screws, we make motor homes.”

The enthusiasm for their product forms the bond between the company and its employees as well as its customers and at the same time attracts new people’s attention to the company. Like Thomas Siegert for example. The 33-year-old engineer from Dresden is now the head of Westfalia’s development department and has had a long personal connection with Westfalia products. His most recent Westfalia before he started his research and development work for the company was a California Exclusive. He also owns the original Club Joker which was first presented at a trade fair in 1983 when the fair was still located in Essen. By the way: in those days the Club Joker was based on the VW T3.

If you listen to Westfalia customers’ advice, the first Club Joker and the later California Exclusiv are the best box vans they ever had. The very high prices for second-hand vehicles of theses models show that there is still a high demand for these classics. Westfalia wants to reach the same audience with the new Club Joker. The new model is therefore not a competitor for the VW California. The Club Joker is more of a motor home thanks to the high roof, the integrated Flex bathroom, the bed design and the standard hot water heating which quietly but effectively warms up the vehicle on cold days. At a starting price of 52,900 euros, the Club Joker is not cheap, but it is still good value, because vehicles based on the T5 traditionally cost almost 20,000 euros more.

Value for money is a good way to introduce the second new Westfalia series. It goes by the name of Amundsen and is the entry level series from Westfalia. It is based on the Fiat Ducato, with a short wheelbase for the 540D and a medium wheelbase for the 600D. The floor plan of both vehicles is similar: next to the rear double bed there are the kitchen and bathroom areas and there is a separate shower in the bigger vehicle. The driver and the co-driver seats can be integrated into the big dinette, creating a comfortable seating arrangement. The dinette seating bench can easily be converted into another double bed. The Amundsen features tried and tested user-friendly components, for example, Truma hot air heating and the 80-litre refrigerator. Flexibility is a particular strength of the new Amundsen models with their classic Westfalia interior design. In the 600D the entire rear bed area can be easily converted into a generous storage compartment with through-loading facility. The Amundsen 540D starts at 44,900 euros, while the basic version of the longer 600D at 45,900 euros costs 1,000 euros more.

The two new floor plans in the Columbus series feature the third element of Westfalia’s product offensive. You can see that the Columbus is the premium product among the converted Fiat Ducato vehicles. With underfloor heating, the luxurious Westfalia Vario seat bench, the slide-out refrigerator and the innovative rear storage compartment design, this vehicle sets the standard for higher class converted box vans. Two years ago this model was presented to visitors in Düsseldorf for the first time. Trade magazines were unanimously enthusiastic and the vehicle became a bestseller. The two new floor plans are based on the long body with the Ducato medium wheelbase. They are 6.40 metres long and feature very different sleeping options. The 640E has two individual beds which can be converted into one massive double bed by means of an insert, while the 640F wins you over with a wide double bed, a dressing table and a big wardrobe, which also sets a standard for this class. Particularly clever in the 640F is the large triangular refrigerator which was first seen in the James Cook. The starting price for these two models is 52,900 euros.

The Club Joker, Amundsen and Columbus are three box vans but also three different designs. Mike Reuer and his team have made consistent customer focus the guiding principle for product development and this is clearly visible in these new models. Just as sales manager Götz Rutenkolk said at the distributor meeting when these models were introduced to European dealers for the first time: “Westfalia – the legend lives on!” The company’s innovative power is proof of that statement.