A new camping trailer concept imagined specifically for the latest electric cars and smaller vehicles has been revealed by German brand Dethleffs at the 2026 Stuttgart CMT.
Recalling the first, sometimes homemade, pop-up tent trailers from the early 20th century and beloved “expanding” campervans of the 1950s such as Volkswagen’s Westfalia, the Dethleffs C.Fold trailer concept has a split-shell design, taking the vehicle from a low-profile wedge shape that stores conveniently in a garage and is aerodynamic for transit, to expanded accommodation that offers more than 1.8 metres of headroom when fully deployed.
At just under five and a half metres in length and weighing just 775kg, it is light enough for EV owners to tow without massively compromising their range. The C.Fold’s lightness is achieved by dispensing with heavy EV battery packs and drive systems and deploying an Alucore aluminium-honeycomb composite body, a pulley system and hinges. It is insulated with recycled PET bottles.
Transforming the body shell into its ultimate camping form is achieved with a button press or via a mobile app. With the concept still in development, images on Dethleffs’ website show a sofa bed in the cosy, ambient-lit, lower end of the vehicle, and a kitchen-dinette at the taller end. There are overhead cabinets and windows that can be opened and possess shades that are integrated into the walls, so there will be no need to hang those retro curtains that look cute but can be a space-hogging nuisance.
The concept stems from a request by Dethleffs aficionados, Monika and Peter Marchart, who found that when they bought an EV, their camping pursuits were curtailed by the fact that towing a caravan cut their range in half, from 400km to just 200km per charge.
While the Marcharts are long-term lovers of camping and road trips, the new Dethleffs concept comes at a time when more people are turning to the joy of the open road, according to consumer data.
Figures from the United States recreational vehicle (RV) industry indicate the appeal of RV holidays surged by almost a third in 2025. The RV Industry Association’s Holiday Travel Intention Survey towards the end of 2025, carried out by Cairn Consulting, revealed 28 million Americans were planning RV trips between four and seven hours from home over the winter – a year-on-year increase of 33%. What’s more, nearly 4-in-10 leisure travellers (39%) plan to take an RV trip in the coming year, “a significant increase,” the Association says.
