Chinese also copy camper vans - check out this cheap T1

The Songsan Motor Summer cost only £30,000 at the time of its launch.

Photo by: Songsan

By: Fernando Moreno

Nov 10, 2024 at 4:05am ET

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Sooner or later, Chinese vans will reach our market, as several passenger car and SUV brands have done (MG, BYD, DFSK, Omoda, Jaecoo, Leapmotor...). We assume that vans with their own designs will land on the market, although there are also blatant copies of European models.

If you don't believe us (which we doubt), just look at the Songsan Motor Summer, unveiled four years ago in its home country. Needless to say, it is a crude copy of the legendary Volkswagen T1, albeit at a slightly lower price than some well-preserved units of the German van.

Specifically, the Asian model was asking £30,000 at current exchange rates at the time of its launch, while we have seen a T1 for sale for as much as £60,000 (with only 18,000 miles).

Songsan Motor Summer, con techo elevable

Songsan Motor Summer, spare wheel

The Summer includes two sliding side doors, as well as two-tone bodywork and a spare wheel hanging on the rear. The headlamps and lights, as well as the steel wheels, are retro-looking, of course.

The powertrain, on the other hand, is rather more modern, using a plug-in hybrid module with 320 PS combined from a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and an electric unit powered by a 16 kWh battery. This system allows the van to accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 5 seconds. The electric range is unknown, although it will not be very high.

The interior features three rows of seats. The middle seat in the second row can be converted into a table with cup holders. There's also a lift-up roof to increase the number of sleeping places.

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The Summer, which measures 4,950 millimetres in length, 1,980 millimetres in width and 1,880 millimetres in height, is available with a matching caravan, as you can see in the accompanying video. This caravan includes a bed and, we presume, a kitchen and fridge, as well as furniture for storing clothes and 'junk'.

This is just one example of what is 'cooking' in China in the camper world. A growing business from which the Asian brands in our continent will surely also want to benefit. Beware of the 'tsunami' that could be generated...