Since revealing its 2nd-generation Transit Custom in 2022, Ford has used each subsequent Düsseldorf Caravan Salon to debut a different new-generation Nugget camper van, first in 2023 with its standard-wheelbase Nugget and PHEV preview, then last year with the first long-wheelbase models. This year marks its third opportunity, and it will grab that opportunity by debuting a new Nugget variant it calls "completely winter-proof." In the process, it will leapfrog Volkswagen yet again with a fully hard-sided four-sleeper layout VW doesn't offer in this segment.
Whether we're talking a VW- or Blue Oval-badged small camper van, or a different van entirely, a Westfalia-style pop-up roof definitely lends a clean, natural on-road look and garageable dimensions to a camper that still provides family-sized sleeping accommodations at camp. On the downside, it interrupts the floor-to-roof hard-walled protection campers might desperately want in certain situations – like when apex predators might be lurking around the campsite. Or, more simply ... winter.
Flimsy, flapping fabric simply doesn't offer the same kind of barrier as solid metal or fiberglass.
Ford's skipping over the lions and grizzlies for now and instead focusing its initial Nugget High Roof marketing heavily on the year-round friendliness of the new four-sleeper layout, a point that distinguishes it from the Volkswagen California lineup, which only offers pop-up four-sleeper or fixed-roof two-sleeper configurations. You'd have to upgrade to a larger Grand California (or step over to a third-party converter) to enjoy a with solid-walled VW camper van with sleeper high roof.
In support of that "year-round" van life message, Ford will have itself some wintry fun with the Nugget High Roof debut. It plans to deck out its Caravan Salon booth in a full "winter world" theme with high country decor that includes an alpine hut, a fitting analogy for a compact camper van with hard sleeper roof and parking heater.
An emphasis on winter camping was not part of Ford's strategy the last time it introduced a high-roof long-wheelbase Nugget. Instead, it really zeroed in on the inclusion of a bathroom during that debut (incidentally, a feature also quite valuable in the cold temperatures of winter).
But that was 2018, and while there were some early signs that van lifers and RVers were warming to the idea of winter camping, it wasn't as much a proven trend at that point. Since then, winter camping has undergone a renaissance, emerging as something of an aspirational activity among RV and camping enthusiasts around the world.
In the US, the growth of winter camping has been a well-documented subject throughout the 2020s. In a June 2024 Camping Trips and Travel Experiences report, Kampgrounds of America (KOA), a nationwide campground organization known for its detailed research on camping statistics and trends, noted that about 25 percent of active camping households had gone camping in Winter '23/24, up from 17 percent the previous year and 14 percent in '21/22. Of those who tried winter camping for the first time, 79 percent were RVers.
We didn't find quite the same level of pinpoint statistics keeping for winter camping in Germany, the debut country for the new Nugget High Roof and Europe's largest RV market, but it does appear to have enjoyed steady growth of its own. Travel insurance company Ergo reported in November 2023 that overnight campsite stays in the month of February had experienced a 140 percent increase over the course of the previous decade.
In April 2025, German travel and lifestyle consulting firm Kleber Group reported growth in year-round camping by noting that November 2024 campsite bookings increased over 22 percent year-over-year and December followed with a 12.4 percent increase. Those numbers came during a record-breaking year that saw 42.9 million overnight camping stays overall, as tracked by Germany's Federal Statistical Office, Destatis.
So with winter camping experiencing a period of increased popularity, why not make that the showcase of a product that just so happens to integrate superior cold-weather performance potential in its very design? Even if it's still August (the busiest month of all at German campsites last year) – summer and three-season campers are easy enough to impress. Plus, Ford plans a "summer terrace" section of its Caravan Salon exhibit with other RV-related innovations, including a Ranger plug-in hybrid pickup truck with rooftop tent.
Ford is saving most of the hard details about its hard roof for next week's big reveal against what we're envisioning as a faux-snow backdrop, but it confirms that the high roof will offer integrated sleeping and extra storage space. The last generation version had a cozy, retractable upper bed as pictured below.
From the single Nugget High Roof exterior photo Ford released, we also see that the new high roof isn't merely carried over from the last-generation Nugget. It's been sculpted a little differently, adding a more vertical Westfalia-badged front edge rising upward from the windshield and extra definition where it arches backward from that edge.
Looking at the longer window line, the high roof currently sits aboard the long-wheelbase Transit Connect Nugget and should then have a bathroom in the rear, at least optionally.
The good news is we won't have to wait long for definitive answers, in contrast to some earlier 2025 Caravan Salon teasers. Ford will host the Nugget High Roof reveal this week at its press conference on Thursday, August 28, ahead of the opening day of the show.
We'll bring back all the details once we have them.
Source: Ford Germany
