Westfalia camper vans, usually on a vintage VW chassis, have been camping icons since before the Summer of Love. Westfalia’s history dates to 1951, but the company folded back in 2010 after changing hands a few times. After a long official absence from U.S. markets, the iconic nameplate is returning to North American parks and open spaces in 2024 with a new model called the Wave.
While the Wave vans will say “Westfalia” on them, the company is no longer based in Germany, and the construction path is… complicated. Westfalia is now owned by French conglomerate Rapido Group, which also owns the popular RoadTrek brand, along with nine other RV brands, most based in Europe. The Rapido brand itself is best known for making modern household furniture. The new Westfalia Wave vans will be based on the RAM ProMaster 3500 van chassis, and the buildout will take place in Canada. It does not appear the new Westfalias will be rebadged RoadTrek camper vans.
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The new Wave van is just under 21 feet in length, with enough interior space to sleep six, according to the company. The iconic pop-top sleeps two adults along with two more in a large rear bed, which sits atop a garage area with a passthrough for paddleboards and other lengthy items. The rear bed can also shrink to fit taller items like mountain bikes during transport.
Two smaller campers, like children or fur babies, will fit on the smaller bed that cleverly folds out from the back of the rear bench seat into the driver’s area and opens up a generous area of overnight storage space. However, there are only a total of four seats in the van, so some logistics may be required if one or two sleepers don’t have paws. At a festival or concert where attendees may end up sacking out…. wherever, the extra driver’s area bed could come in very handy.
Other features include copious storage cabinets, a floor cubby, a Truma Combi furnace/water heater combo, a microwave, a propane cooktop, a 600 Amp/hour lithium battery pack, a 3,000 Watt inverter, a refrigerator, a rooftop AC, a wet bathroom with a drain and cassette-style toilet. There are also clever countertop extensions and a tablet-based control system.
No pricing or production timetable has been released, but the company says it is “launching in North America” in 2024. There is no word yet on whether pine green is a color option or if there will be 4WD/AWD options.
