Airstream wants to conquer Europe

The German company Roka-Werk has become the exclusive distributor of the iconic Airstream caravans in Europe. Roka intends to increase brand awareness on the continent and expand the dealer network.

Airstream is an American caravan manufacturer, but Roka is a company that hasn't focused on camping so far. Her main area of interest is ... gastronomy, or more precisely, building catering stands and converting caravans to make them suitable for mobile fast food restaurants.

Perfect for hot dogs

If not for gastronomy, the two companies would not meet at all. Airstream, however, is a manufacturer that does not focus only on the recreational use of its products. Characteristic aluminum caravans with oval shapes look so impressive that they are perfect as rolling advertisements. They are eye-catching, which makes them eagerly used during various promotional campaigns and in gastronomy.

A few years ago, also in Poland, there was a lot of talk about the shiny bar in the Airstream caravan, which first stood in the historic part of Lublin, and later moved to the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. The bar evoked emotions, because such a "place" was hardly discreet, and not everyone liked it.

Europe is waiting

Fortunately, Roka does not intend to limit its offer to gastro-trailers. The distributor, together with dealers operating so far in Italy and Great Britain, intends to develop a joint strategy for the development of the dealer network in the rest of Europe. To start with , Roka intends to focus on Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Scandinavia .

Currently, on the showcase of Airstream Europe, we can find an offer of three caravans intended for traveling. Model 534 is 6.8 meters long and can sleep 4 people. There are also trailers 604 and 684 with a length of - respectively - 7.6 and 8.25 m.

The fact that Roka is serious about the caravanning market is evidenced by the fact that, apart from caravans, it also intends to sell a motorhome based on a Mercedes Sprinter.

Some history…

Airstream is probably the oldest manufacturer of caravans in the United States. It all started when Wally Baym , a lawyer by training , built a trailer in his backyard in 1920 . For the construction, he used the Ford T chassis. Inside, he installed an ice container (equivalent to a refrigerator) and an oil furnace .

He published his work in one of the newspapers. The response was huge, so Baym started selling brochures about self-constructed caravans. And success again! The constructor valued his little book at only $ 1 per copy, but he sold as many as 15,000 brochures!

At the same time, Baym's friends insisted that he build trailers for them as well. He could not refuse them, so he spent each day on the next vehicles. The pleasure of carrying out subsequent orders was destroyed only by the neighbors who did not like the noises coming from Baym's backyard. One day, the constructor, upset by the neighbors, simply left the house and rented the building. It was there that he began mass production of trailers.

An aerodynamically shaped aluminum trailer was built in 1930 . Since then, the exterior of Aistream caravans has not changed much. To this day, we can recognize the vehicles of this brand thanks to their slightly rounded aluminum walls. But the interior has changed beyond recognition and today it looks simply luxurious.