Small, affordable pop-up campers like the Freebird and Cascade Camper aren’t going away just yet, as America’s compact van market is rapidly heading the way of dinosaurs and dodos (maybe not dodos). Las Vegas-area conversion shop Caleche Customs is helping fill this void by introducing the Korean-designed Unicamp Univan RT CL, a Kia Carnival minivan camper pop-top kit. The company now provides the hardware to create Carnival light sleepers and more complete campers.
Caleche previously offered both Sprinter and Metris camper vans and focused its conversion efforts solely on Mercedes-Benz vehicles. But then Mercedes joined a wave of automakers discontinuing the smallest van offerings with plans to pull his midsize Metris from the North American market in 2023. With the 2021 model year, Ford and Ram have followed suit, announcing plans to ditch their respective small vans this year.
In such a way, the small van market in the United States disappeared.
If there is a small, affordable camper market in the North American market for the foreseeable future, it will fall into the minivan segment and be modified like the Oasis Sienna. Caleche Customs has turned to another minivan model to offer a new small camper van, but instead of creating its own floor plan, starting in Kia’s home country of South Korea, it’s demonstrating from other global markets. I’ve been looking for finished products.
Unicamp USA
Unicamp was founded in 2011 and offers several campervans for the Korean market based on Hyundai and Kia domestic models. The company introduced its latest Univan RT CL after the 4th generation of his Kia Carnival launched in South Korea in 2020.
Carnival has arrived in the US as the 2022 model year to replace the Sedona. Carnival for the American market offers 7-seater and his 8-seater configurations, providing plenty of room for the whole family. In fact, at 203 inches (516 cm), the Carnival is technically classified as a minivan, but it’s longer than either of the aforementioned obsolete small or mid-sized vans and offers plenty of room for in-vehicle camping. All you need is a tall roof.
Unicamp USA
Caleche brings its high roof option to the Pacific by creating a subsidiary of Unicamp USA. The Univan RT CL pop-up roof extends the Carnival’s interior space upwards, adding a ‘light camper’ to the versatile minivan hat collection. Made from a durable, weather-resistant thermoset plastic shell, the roof is a little taller than some pop-up roof designs and more noticeable when closed, but after all, the roof box-mounted It just reminds me of MPV.
The Univan RT CL’s electric lift operation fits nicely into the base vehicle offering hands-free, single-button sliding door and tailgate operation. In fact, Unicamp says it can even be opened and closed with the same Kia Smart Key that opens the doors and tailgate. The roof opens and closes in just 5 seconds and features a convenient click-and-go self-locking feature. A manual back-up system ensures opening and closing even if the electric motor fails.
The tent-like open roof area has a 40 x 85 inch (102 x 216 cm) mattress designed for two people. Raise the mattress as well to free up headroom above the floor of the van below.
Unicamp USA
Unicamp USA recently installed its first Carnival poptop and is now offering the bunk roof at an introductory price of $16,000, a $2,000 discount from its planned retail price of $18,000. Carnival itself starts at between $33,100 and $46,200 depending on trim, not including the $1,365 destination fee, so buyers can get his brand new sleeper MPV from just over $50,000. I can. A pop-up roof allows the Carnival to remain a versatile everyday driver and family hauler, but always with dual sleeper capability for impromptu overnights. Available seating options, such as his removable sliding second row and his third row that folds down to floor height, add to the sleeper MPV’s overall versatility.
Unicamp has also added a more complete four-sleeper camper package with an outdoor tailgate kitchen and second bed. This $4,000 add-on of his hails from Germany, the Ququq camper-in-a-box we’ve all known for years. 110 lb (50 kg) tailgate-mounted kit includes box with 3 compartments, folding bed with 3-piece 43 x 77 inch (110 x 195 cm) mattress, dual kitchen and more of kitchen amenities are included. -Burner gas stove and two 10L water canisters. The folding back panel doubles as a kitchen counter and table.
Unicamp USA
Unfortunately, for those who prefer a little more of the camper’s all-weather, all-terrain capabilities, Kia has taken care to give the Carnival strong SUV-inspired proportions, though the all-wheel-drive option is No. So the MPV’s 3.5-liter V6 engine sends all of its available 290 horsepower to the front wheels alone. None of the other small or midsize vans in the US market offered AWD or 4WD options, but the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica minivans do.
Source: Unicamp USA
