Wellhouse Leisure is no stranger to building small, highly efficient camper vans. As we've seen over the years, it does some seriously nice work in models like the Ford Transit Custom and Toyota Proace, as well as early adopting electric and PHEV campers. Now it's dropping downmarket to launch a new line of micro-campers, starting atop a proper kei van from Toyota/Daihatsu. The micro-van will become an incredibly efficient British Isle-roaming tiny camper with a price tag less than half of what some larger Wellhouse camper vans cost.
Micro cars and campers are all the rage right now, and not just in the Asian markets in which they originate. It feels like you can no longer attend a show like Overland Expo without stumbling on a Delica 4x4 tiny camper or two, and we've started to see such vans show up regularly at quiet, unassuming campgrounds, ski resort parking lots and even just around town. In fact, I've been seeing a fantastically adorable early-90s-era Honda Acty van cruising around my local streets in Utah quite regularly over the past couple months.
And then there was this American-converted non-Japanese kei-size camper we stumbled on just recently.
In the US, kei vans and trucks and other foreign vehicles not originally produced to meet US safety and emissions standards can be legally imported under the so-called 25-year rule. So you can import Honda Actys, Mitsubishi Delicas, Toyota HiAces and others so long as they were built in 2001 or earlier (though some individual states ban or restrict kei vehicles).
The UK, on the other hand, does not have comparable vehicle age-based import bans, and import businesses take advantage of this in offering both commuter and camper variants of some fun, coveted vehicles that would not otherwise be available to UK buyers. JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) vehicles are a popular part of this market, and Delica 4x4 campers are one example we've seen in the past. Now Wellhouse experiments with a different tiny RV.
More specifically, Wellhouse brings in the boxy, pug-nosed Wake micro-van produced by Daihatsu between 2014 and 2022 and also badged as the Toyota Pixis Mega. It was originally launched to add space and versatility to the kei van segment, offering what Daihatsu billed on debut as the largest cabin and tallest interior height (145 cm/57 in) in its class.
While the UK doesn't have an imported vehicle ban, it does require vehicles less than 10 years old to meet vehicle approval regulations, which can entail installing safety and equipment upgrades and modifications. By focusing on early Wakes and Pixis Megas more 10+ years old, Wellhouse can circumvent that modification and approval process.
It's clear from the introductory video Wellhouse published last month that it's having some fun with the Wake/Pixis Mega camper van and positioning it as a quirky alternative for the likes of folks who "dress up as minions and go to festivals." We lost count of the number of times camper reviewer and regular Wellhouse video presenter Peter Rosenthal said the word "ridiculous" in taking a look at the first Wake delivered to Wellhouse. He mixed it in liberally with the "cheerful," "hilarious" and "funky" mentions.
The new micro-camper is certain to stand out at any campground and deliver some leisurely, low-horsepower fun. For buyers who have very limited garage, driveway or on-street parking space, it should prove a perfect little solution for maintaining a weekend getaway camper.
It'll be of particular interest to anyone who likes to get away from literally everyone. Because Wellhouse plans to make the Daihatsu Wake available primarily as a solo camper. It's still finalizing the floor plan after taking delivery of its first (bright, fiery orange) Wake but says the camper will feature a unique three-seat solo-sleeper layout with front and rear passenger seats that transform into a single bed and a small kitchen behind the driver's seat. It adds that campers might be able to squeeze two people on the bed, but we wouldn't count on that being particularly comfortable.
Here's a different layout that Wellhouse is using as inspiration for its new micro-camper:
The kitchen will include a stove, sink and fresh water supply delivered via electric pump, and the greater conversion will also package in a pop-up roof. It doesn't appear there will be an upper bed option, however, with the pop-up serving instead to increase the 145-cm interior height to adult standing level. A leisure battery, solar panel, split-charge relay and window blinds/curtains will round out the package – and yes, this minuscule camper van will even squeeze in its own portable toilet.
That sounds like a highly efficient micro-living layout inside one of the smallest four-wheeled motor vehicles available. Adding even more efficiency is the Wake/Pixis Mega's 63-hp 660cc engine and automatic transmission. Wellhouse estimates fuel economy at 45 mpg and notes the vehicle is ULEZ/Clean air zone compliant. The little camper van will come in both 2WD and 4WD versions.
The first Wellhouse camper van based on that bright-orange Wake, a 2015 model with 67,000 miles, is available now for a preorder price of £17,995 (approx. US$24,200) – quite cheap for a camper, no matter how "ridiculous" and "funky."
We'll keep an eye out for the official debut of Wellhouse's Daihatsu/Toyota micro-camper and bring back a closer look at the layout and specs.
Source: Wellhouse Leisure
