NZ’s TrailLite creates Roadcraft motorhome for Kiwis

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The TrailLite Roadcraft is built on a Fiat platform. Photos: TrailLite

Just as we downsize our houses, so do RV owners, and that’s where Kiwi company TrailLite saw a need in the Kiwi market so created the New Zealand-specific Roadcraft.

TrailLite officially unveiled the Roadcraft motorhome at the recent NZMCA Motorhome, Caravan & Leisure Show in Hamilton, with two prototypes and plans to release a third next year.

The current Roadcraft has a double bed in the rear with an island bed, or two single beds in the rear.

The Roadcraft has large storage in the rear but power points for e-bikes.

Eight vehicles sold ‘off the plans’ before buyers saw the reveal at the show. I attended the show on the Saturday, and during my hour-long visit to TrailLite there was a continuous stream of visitors viewing the Roadcraft.

That interest, plus pre-orders, has seen the Roadcraft move into full production, with prototypes available to view at TrailLite’s Pukekohe and Christchurch showrooms. 

TrailLite joint managing director Shaun Newman says the early sales, all made sight unseen, have given the company an encouraging indication of demand. 

One of the Roadcraft has a double bed in the rear.

“It’s a huge vote of confidence in what we’ve created. We knew there was an opportunity for a locally built motorhome specifically for Kiwi travel – one that could compete with the European brands that traditionally dominate the market,” Newman says. 

“Revealing the final Roadcraft prototypes at the show also meant we could hear directly from customers and incorporate some great feedback into the finishing touches for our full production models.”

Priced from $231,000, the Roadcraft is built on a Fiat platform, supplied and supported by the Italian brand’s New Zealand distributor, Ateco.

The Roadcraft is priced from $231,000.

It took the company over two years from concept to revealing the Roadcraft at the show, after feedback from existing customers. 

They either wanted a product that suited Kiwi lifestyle, rather than the European market and the campervans imported here by TrailLite, or, like their houses, wanted to downsize from a large RV or campervan.

They had gone from being away in their RVs for months at a time to something that suits a weekend break.

There is also the option of twin beds.

And with that, TrailLite has a great analogy; think of the Roadcraft as the Kiwi bach, small yet fit for purpose. 

The Roadcraft is engineered to provide more independence from mains power, water and the fully serviced campground facilities that European motorhomes are often designed around. 

Greater fresh and grey water capacity and increased lithium battery capacity support longer periods off-grid, giving owners more flexibility to extend a stay or change plans along the way.  

Inside, an island bed option provides walk-around space on both sides for improved comfort and accessibility, while a full oven and compressor refrigerator with a freezer provide a more home-like level of functionality.  

The model with the double bed also has an island bed above the table.

The large rear storage space has power points to charge e-bikes, and room to store such equipment as a barbecue, plus tables and chairs, etc.

Roadcraft’s level of self-containment reflects a distinctly New Zealand motorhome experience, where a trip can span everything from DOC and freedom camping sites to NZMCA Parks and its network of Park  Over Properties (POPs), including farms, wineries, businesses and golf clubs.