The invention of the “camper car” – a love story!
As a junior manager in his father’s whip and bridle factory, Arist Dethleffs was often away on business trips for weeks on end. He missed his family so much during these times that he promptly invented the “camper car” in 1931 – the first caravan in Germany.
This devoted family man thus not only invented, but then also pioneered a completely new form of travel, which remains extremely popular today.
The Dethleffs family and their vehicle/trailer combination aroused curiosity and interest wherever they went. And so Arist soon began returning from his travels with orders for camper cars, which he manufactured in a small garage on the company premises.
The startup quickly picked up speed and left the small garage to become a separate division that focused exclusively on building caravans. Caravanning soon established itself as an entire movement in its own right
We do “Quaravanning”
Actually, at Dethleffs the word “caravanning” should really begin with a “Q” because our vehicles are the perfect manifestation of our quality standards – based on almost a century of experience. We have embodied the pioneering spirit of our founder Arist Dethleffs for 90 years and devote all of our energy to building the best recreational vehicles of their time. We stay true to our values and focus on what really matters:
Quality is in our DNA
- Optimised manufacturing processes based on the highest quality standards
- Precision and craftsmanship by largely self-trained specialists
- Exclusive use of high-quality components and materials
Rethinking responsibility
- Skilled specialists in all trades
- In-house training (one of the largest training companies in the region)
- Continuous further training
Staying ahead through outstanding service
- Reliability and safety thanks to our large service and dealer network
- With more than 350 dealers and service partners throughout Europe, help is always close at hand when needed
- State-of-the-art spare parts warehouse
- 18,500 spare parts permanently available
- 93% of dealer orders are fulfilled within three days
- Regular workshop training ensures that our dealers are up to date with the latest knowledge
Experience since 2004
We also build camper vans!
At our traditional home location in Isny im Allgäu, we don’t just develop and manufacture Dethleffs motorhomes and caravans. For more than 18 years, we have also been producing camping conversions for vans with the finest craftsmanship. At present, over 7,000 urban campers and camper vans roll off our production line each year under the Pössl and Crosscamp brands, as well as Nissan urban camper models since March 2022.
More than 55,000 van conversions
Dethleffs has been producing van conversions on behalf of other brands in Isny since 2004. We not only manufacture furniture for the interior fittings on our specially equipped assembly lines. Our qualified staff also take care of all the electrics and heating, water supply, body modifications, high-roof or pop-up roof installation and insulation. Professionally, efficiently and in the renowned Dethleffs „Made in Isny“ quality.
Development and design
Our extensive expertise in recreational vehicles across all categories also flows into the commissioned development and construction of our industry customers’ urban camper and camper van models. Many practical solutions, enhancements and model updates for these vehicles were either created in the Dethleffs development department or realised with input from our engineers.
The first Dethleffs camper van
In January 2022, we also introduced the Globevan, the first urban camper under the Dethleffs brand – this multi-purpose vehicle is classed as a motorhome but is suitable for everyday use. Find out more about the Dethleffs Globevan here.
