We may usually see caravans and motorhomes on TV about Americans who use them due to the high costs of living or through the popular South Korean variety show House on Wheels where actors travel across the country to stay with them for a night or two. However, these vehicles are not commonly seen in Malaysia.
Around four years ago, Shamsul Rosli had the idea of starting a factory to fulfil a rising demand for the vehicles in the country after refurbishing a recreational vehicle (RV).
Now operating out of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Camperv M provides professional expertise and service of refurbishing, inventing, and repairing different types of RV vehicle models such as caravans, campervans, and motorhomes that have been imported from other countries such as the US, Australia and Switzerland. They now claim to be Malaysia’s biggest RV builder and manufacturer.
Shamsul’s factory was amongst the earliest in the country to successfully convert a 4WD into a camper truck. The former marine engineer flew to the UK just to purchase his dream caravan and learn the tricks of the trade.
Speaking with Bernama, Shamsul revealed “In the UK, I bought the bodyshell of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter WB to refurbish into a caravan. At the same time, I also visited several factories to learn caravan-making methods with the experts there.”
After bringing it home to Malaysia, Shamsul felt that there was something missing from the caravan as it lacked space to pray even though it had come complete with a bed, kitchen, and bathroom. That was how he had the idea of making his own ‘DIY’ caravan that was Muslim-friendly, which caught the attention of local RV owners as no other individuals had the skill of refurbishing these types of vehicles.
Now with four other skilled assistants to help him, the Mantin-born businessman says that his factory has the ability to offer RV refurbishing services from air conditioning to wiring services as well as enhancing the interior and exterior design of the vehicle.
So far, they have worked on 80 different types of RVs, which are tailor-made according to the requirements of each owner. Camperv M gets everything done for their clients from obtaining licenses from local authorities to carpentering and each vehicle usually takes a maximum of 90 days to be completed.
Most of the equipment inside the RV like the bathroom, air conditioner and electrical items like the oven, fridge, and iron are imported from other countries. Shamsul also proudly shared that his bestselling camper trucks are only produced in three other countries: Australia, Thailand, and China. It also comes with a solar panel system built in.
Having worked on ten camper trucks that use aluminium as the main material for its cabin structure, Shamsul told Bernama “Camper trucks are becoming popular because it comes with an automatic transmission which is more practical on all types of road surfaces and which makes maintenance easier.”
There are now an estimated 2,000 RV owners throughout the country, with the costs for vehicles starting at RM40,000 depending on the budget and refurbishments made as well as whether the vehicle is used or brand new.
We wish we had the moolah to afford one of these cool rides!
Check out Camperv M’s website or follow them on Instagram or Facebook.