Built for the Future: Camper VisionVenture from Hymer and BASF

VisionVenture is more than a camper van: it’s a way of lifestyle, and a highly comfortable, almost luxurious one, at it. Designed by Hymer in a partnership with world leading chemical company BASF, it features an interesting design made all the more practical through the use of novel materials. The result is a camper van that offers anything you could think of, from a separate bedroom, open-floor design, 4-wheel drive and an actual BBQ stand.

As Hymer puts it, VisionVenture was designed for an imagined future; they say it would fit right into a 2025 scenario, so we’ll have to take their word for it. In concept, this luxurious camper stands out in every respect. It replaces “precise contours with harmonious transitions between cab and body,” and “breaks new ground in terms of design, self-sufficiency and lightweight construction.” You don't have to take their word for it, though.

VisionVenture uses a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis from which only the cowl with the doors, the headlights and the grille have been kept. Everything else has been altered to include new features or to make the body lighter, so as to have all those features in without compromising anything in terms of efficiency.

To make the camper more lightweight, Hymer and BASF turned to using over 100 3-D printed parts, both on the chassis and inside. The wheel arch panel, for instance, has a rubber-like quality and is very robust, thanks to 3-D printed parts.

The camper easily fits a kitchenette, a dining space (which can be extended into a patio with its very own pull-out BBQ stand) and a sitting room, a bathroom with a cubicle shower, a discreet staircase and an inflatable bedroom upstairs, which takes 60 seconds to open.

The sleeping area is fitted with a bed frame and mattress, designed in such a way as to avoid overheating when it’s sunny and cold temperatures at nighttime. The mattress has a cooling effect thanks to Elasticoat Spraygel, while the outer material of the tent regulates the temperature of the bedroom, while blocking outside noise. It’s like sleeping in a tent, but in the comfort of your own home – if not actually better.

The paint of the camper also has temperature regulating properties. While most vehicles of the kind come in white to avoid overheating, the VisionVenture comes in a startling and gorgeous shade of dark green, but you shouldn’t worry about extreme heat. The paint used reflects the sun’s infrared light. “The temperature-regulating, energy-efficient Chromacool technology from BASF reduces the surface temperature of the vehicle by 20°C and that of the interior by up to 4°C,” Hymer proudly states.

The interior is as stylish as you’d expect: imitation leather (solvent-free) replaces the real kind, while hemp and slate are used as replacements for wood and chipboard, in combination with plastics. For the staircase, which doubles as storage space, designers used Adidas’ “Energy Boost” material, adding an extra spring in your step when you head to the bedroom.

Hymer wouldn’t say when this glamorous and innovative camper van might be out on the market, but they did note that it was close to production. Pricing also remains to be announced at a later date.
“Innovation has always been part of Hymer’s DNA, and the concept car VisionVenture is our take on modern van life. A major source of inspiration for this project was the camper community, who have given us new impetus with their creative ideas and DIY conversions,” Christian Bauer, President of Hymer GmbH & Co. KG, says.

“Thanks to the material expertise and technical know-how of BASF, we have managed to put this into practice in a highly realistic concept vehicle. We are confident that we will be able to introduce some elements from this array of innovative and extremely customer-friendly solutions into series production in the not too distant future,” Bauer adds.

Given they imagined this would be the future of camping in 2025, it looks like you have another few years to start saving up.