Beauer, a French RV company with too many vowels in its name, has engineered its products into bigger spaces than any other in the industry. But when towed behind a vehicle, they sure don’t look like it. The explanation is its accordion-like expansion once parked at your campsite, and while other pop-up models utilize this, none do it near in the same way as the French. On Wednesday, June 30, the company announced that, for the first time, it would have a U.S.-based distributor to bring a little of the Old World into the New.
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Available in three sizes, all of the company’s campers double from their transported dimensions, expanding out rather than up in 60 seconds with the push of a button. The differences between models are largely the intended use and number of guests. The 2X, its smallest RV designed for two, packs down to a six-by-12-foot footprint, and yet, when you arrive, it slides out into a 10.5-foot width (maintaining the same length) and providing twice the square-footage (26 square feet), along with a living/bedroom combo, shower, kitchen, and more. Larger models, including the 3X and the 3XPlus (four and six people, respectively), pull a similar trick, although they include designated living- and bedrooms for a maximum space of 85 square feet. Rather than classified as an RV, these may be the first truly mobile homes.
While Beauer has a unique approach to campers, American enthusiasts are moving toward smaller, more easily transported RVs at greater and greater numbers. “There has been a significant increase in demand for teardrop trailers,” says Geoff Radke, a sales director for General RV, which has both an online sales platform and 13 locations around the U.S. “It allows [people] to vacation, travel to new places, and experience the U.S. without updating their vehicle to a heavy duty tow vehicle.” Beauer’s middle trailer, the 3X, weighs just over 2,000 pounds, which is under the towing capacity for a 2022 Subaru Outback.
To date, the only downside for Beauer has been the lack of access for the American customer, and they have largely remained a clickbait-worthy story for those pretending to work. Those days have come to an end, as the company announced via its Facebook page that it will have a U.S. representative for the first time. Details are sparse; the post lists someone named Mark and provides his direct email. No mention of this continental shift is explained on its website.
Still, that old maxim of gift horses and mouths holds true, and while there are more elegant ways of announcing such significant news, the news is nevertheless significant. Automation comes at a cost, and while U.S. prices have not yet been listed, in its native France, the 2X starts at approximately $29,000, converted from the Euro, with the 3XPlus coming in at more than $89,000. It should be noted that these are only the basic packages, with add-ons only swelling your tab.
But for those who value a small package en route and expansive size when in camp, the Beauer line of RVs is the first of its kind, and now, for the first time, it’s within reach of American camper enthusiasts.
