► CAR at the 2025 Dusseldorf campervan show
► Motorhome madness across 15 halls
► Here are 10 of the craziest things we saw
The 2025 Dusseldorf Caravan Salon claims to be ‘the world’s leading trade fair for mobile travel’ – and judging by the scale of it, that’s no wishful thinking. Taking place over 10 days and spread across 15 halls at the Messe Dusseldorf exhibition grounds in Germany (itself one of the largest in the world), it welcomed 255,000 visitors in 2024, and is expecting a similar number this year.
If you’re already imagining a sea of near-indistinguishable white and beige fibreglass boxes, well, you’re largely not worng. But such is the size of this event that in amongst all the conventional campervans, motorhomes and – yes – caravans, there’s plenty of room for curiosities. And since Dusseldorf is an easy five hours’ drive from Calais, a friend and I hopped on the Eurotunnel to take a look around.
I’ve been before, covering the introduction of new VW California models and the like. But my friend has recently become obsessed with motorhomes on YouTube and so this time was a very different kind of experience as we went in and out of far more of the hundreds of vehicles on display. A surprisingly eye-opening process that underlines the value if this kind of event if you’re in the market to make a purchase.
Being able to directly compare so many brands is a significant convenience that helps make sense of the variety in pricing and layouts; no wonder so many of the stands had substantial sales areas, with money clearly changing hands during what was officially the preview day. The show runs from 28 August to 7 September, so there’s still time to make the trip right now…
But you probably didn’t come here for sensible consumer advice. Let’s get to the wild and crazy stuff. Here’s what stood out for me at the 2025 Dusseldorf Caravan Salon.
Big trucks still rule
Want to go camping literally wherever? Then you need one of these
Even if you’ve seen big overlanding trucks before – and it felt like there was more of them than ever at the 2025 show – these things still pack a mighty visual punch. From relatively modest Unimog-based examples, such as the MogX pictured above, to utterly enormous 6×6 lorry-chassis monsters, these are aimed at seriously well-heeled off-gridders who don’t want to be restricted by anything ordinary or mundane. Such as roads.
The interiors are luxury apartments, with mod-cons running from wet-rooms to washing machines, (motor)bike racks to roof-mounted observation decking. Parking isn’t a problem as you can just flatten anything in the way. But you’ll need a decent budget – half a million is only just getting started here. Shame the sleek-looking Torsus Praetorian Liberra wasn’t on display, but it certainly has plenty of competition.
Smaller overlanders are popular, too
Off-grid but still able to access a supermarket carpark without damaging anything. Probably
Not quite so keen on crushing everything in your path? But still want to leave the world behind for days or weeks rather than hours at a time? Then a smaller overlanding campervan conversion could be for you. These are usually Iveco Daily based, such as the Greenlander Sherpa pictured, but you do get lifted four-wheel drive Mercedes Sprinter and VW Crafter conversions, too.
The Daily is popular because its ladder chassis means it can operate up to 7.2-tonne light truck capacity, giving you loads of scope for fixtures and fittings – although you’ll also need a suitable licence to drive it. The Greenlander above includes real glass windows, a walkable roof with solar panels, ‘natural fibre’ construction, and 850mm wading capability. Budget upwards of £250,000 for the full mobile luxury experience.
Safety is… a carbonfibre cube
Concerned about just how wild that wilderness is? China’s HMT might have the answer
While this looks like an under-designed box destined for must try harder on its show report, there’s honestly some clever thinking going on here. Developed by Chinese aitrbag company HMT – that’s Habitation | Mobility | Technology, apparently – it’s a self-contained living space that’s intended to be easily added to the back of a suitable donor chassis, such as the aforementioned Iveco Daily 4×4.
Still seem a little lazy? Well, the promo video is rather cunning, too, as it plays on fears about safety and sustainability in the overlanding scene – and then promises solutions. Including smash-proof windows, on-board water recycling, an eco-friendly toilet that ‘neutralises’ waste, and solid-state batteries for days away from conventional sources of power. It’s also made of carbonfibre, helping the whole thing weigh just 1250kg, fully fitted for two.
A loo with a view
Turns out onboard bathrooms come in a remarkable number of variations
I have quite blatantly stolen that heading from Colin Overland (it was originally used for CAR magazine’s first review of the VW Grand California), but if you’re worried about bathroom facilities while on the road, the Caravan Salon is the place to find a solution. Spoiler alert: some of the Transporter-sized conversions that put a potty in the corner of the kitchen area – with very little in the way of privacy, too – can absolutely get in the sea as far as I’m concerned.
But whether you want a simple toilet or a full suite, there’s a camper or motorhome to suit you. Some have separate shower rooms (often with transparent doors, usually in full view of the sleeping space – welcome to Europe), others have moving walls and hidden facilities; some can even convert the central corridor into a temporary bathroom area to maximise space. Caselani, meanwhile, puts the loo adjacent to one of the rear doors in its retro Fiat 616N Ducato conversion – allowing open access to the scenery, should the mood take you, without the risk of contaminating dinner.
Forget ladders – get a campervan with a staircase
Accessing the sleeping space in the roof needn’t be an exercise in jeopardy after all
One of the most divisive things about the VW California is that to access the (more comfortable) upper sleeping space beneath the pop-top roof involves climbing the front seats like some kind of home counties parkour enthusiast. This understandably limits the appeal for many people. A common solution in similar rising-roof alternatives is access via ladder – whether inside or outside depends on the vehicle – but that still lacks a certain… civility. What you really want is a proper set of stairs.
We only saw two vans with this arrangement, so it’s still something of a niche approach, even though the stairs double as storage. The Hymer Venture S offers the convenience (above) packaged in a luxurious Sprinter-based overlander complete with inflatable insulated pop-top and expanding bathroom (it literally folds back against the wall when not in use) that costs upwards of £210k. More modestly, the Carado CV541 Pro is a compact Ducato-based model with stairs and spacious central bathroom priced from £61,490. On display with tasteful overland-style accessories, this was easily my favourite camper of the entire show.
Indecisive? Try this giant pegboard interior concept
But really, how many times are you actually going to rearrange the interior?
The interior décor of most of the campervans and motorhomes on display followed a fairly similar pattern. Wood veneers and leather upholstery are generally the thing for most enthusiasts, it would seem, with some makers daring the odd dash of colour but the majority following a fairly conservative palette – part chain hotel, part motorboat, no actual doilies. We did spot a pink bathroom suite in a venerable Sprinter conversion, but mostly these are white with chrome fixtures, too.
Enter Castino, which sells modular kits to people wanting to do their own van conversions. Nothing particularly unusual about that, except all of its panelling and accessories have the appearance of giant pegboards – and function in exactly that way, allowing you to clip things onto them as needed. Everything comes flat-packed but promises easy assembly to become fittings that are both lightweight and strong. But do you really want to go camping in something with the aesthetics of a mobile tool shed?
Coach party – don’t ditch the car, bring it with you
Why pedal a pushbike when you can explore the local area in your supercar instead
An obvious issue with any campervan or mobile home is getting about the new place once you’ve established base camp. It’s no coincidence you see so many vans with bike racks on the back. You could also tow a car or trailer a Harley, but why be basic? If you’ve got the funds you need a motorhome with a garage. And I don’t mean that space at the back you keep the bedding in. There was a substantial section of one of the larger halls entirely dedicated to manufacturers of more comfortable equivalents of the bus from The Italian Job at the 2025 Dusseldorf show.
Options include straightforward ramped car storage at the back – some of which feature descending platforms for ease of access – or you can stash your other ride amidships via a side-access sliding tray arrangement. Also useful for al fresco dining over ground that would otherwise risk ruining your moccasins. Two obvious hitches, regardless: the immense cost of what are essentially private coaches, and – more pertinent to the clientele, no doubt – finding a suitable scenic destination with the space to park that won’t also ruin the undercarriage of your onboard Ferrari. Not so much first world as one per cent problems.
Roofroomer Native – for when you really must keep your current car…
…but really don’t want a roof tent
You’ve probably seen a pickup truck with a ‘camping cabin’ installed in the load bed. Well, now Roofroomer has extended that concept to other cars with its new Native range – described as a world first and demoed at the show on a Ranger Rover Velar. I’m sort of struggling to see the appeal, but if you really must have solid fibreglass rather than waterproof fabric to encompass your outdoor adventures and don’t want to go the full motorhome, this is at least a novel solution.
Inside that L-shaped box is a full-sized bed, a kitchen area and a bathroom – complete with showerhead and toilet. It attaches the car via the roof rack and the tow hook, and comes with detachable mounting legs for installation and removal, making independent use of the, uh, module possible as well. There are two sizes, matched to different classes of car, and prices start at around £10,000. And before you ask, yes, there were still plenty of roof tent variants at the show, as well.
Caravans don’t have to be ordinary, either
From end-of-days survival pods to wood cabins on wheels
The Dusseldorf Caravan Salon isn’t named by accident – there are halls and halls of tow-your-own-accommodation in addition to the motorised machinery. From tiny little teardrop-shaped sleepers to three-axle behemoths the length of a tennis court, all is available to respectfully poke and prod here in Germany. And the range of styles is quite something to behold. You might think you’re a classic caravaner until you clap eyes on retro-looking Eriba or an end-of-days-styled RS Camp or Crawler…
But those were far from the oddest caravans on display. Our pick comes down to a choice between the expanding Beauer – available in 2x and 3x formats, these double or triple in width thanks to a Russian doll alike shell design and complex folding fittings – and the wild Tannhauschen log cabins on wheels. The interiors of these were finished in raw pine, which smelled wonderful but made the fitted log burner seem dangerous or prescient. Run out of fuel and you can always start burning the kitchen worktops. This example would be yours for 96,000 Euros.
Double-header – the van that doesn’t need reverse
OEM action was muted in Dusseldorf, but there was this…
Ever wondered what motorhome manufacturers do with all the bits of van they don’t actually need? Well, the most sensible approach is to not order them in the first place – which is where stuff like this Ducato Back2Back comes in. It’s two Ducato front ends bolted together for transport purposes, ready to slot straight into a bespoke motorhome chassis. Saves cost and waste, looks cool. Great idea.
There wasn’t a great deal of traditional car OEM action at Dusselfdorf this year. Though Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Volkswagen were all present, none of them had particularly big stands, and two out of the six vehicles shown by Stellantis were a Citroen Ami and a Fiat Toplino. Ford did have the latest Nugget camper on display, however, which still isn’t properly on sale, and VW launched an updated version of the Grand California, including a Dune special edition. Star of the Mercedes stand was an early Sprinter conversion (that of the pink bathroom, mentioned above), as the firm celebrated 30 years of its most famous van model.
For further pictures of everything mentioned above – and more – check out the gallery at the top of this page.