We've seen plenty of motorhomes with expansion slide-outs, including stretched ultra-luxury buses with supercar drawers and smaller campers with dual full-slide sidewalls. But a concept camper recently put on show by Lippert Components is on another level, a Class C with a single fold-out and four slide-outs of all styles and sizes. From an expanding wine bar, to a flip-out dog tent, to a fully expanding living room, Lippert's forward-thinking motorhome shows how slide-outs and other retractable components come together to create a motorhome so roomy you could practically teach a karate class inside.
Lippert's concept caught our eye the second it came into view. We'd even venture to say it was the most memorable vehicle of the 2018 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, a show that had its fair share of memorable motorhomes and trailers. Despite its eye-grabbing look, it's less a cohesive concept vehicle, more a living showcase of various Lippert components. It doesn't even have a proper name, so we'll call it "Project 2000," after the Italian Lippert brand whose products feature prominently.
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, aka the RV capital of the world, Lippert is a global company specializing in OEM and aftermarket components for recreational vehicles, residential housing and adjacent industries (e.g. buses and horse trailers). During its more than half-century in business, Lippert has acquired companies around the US and Europe, expanding its manufacturing footprint to 65 facilities spread across countries like the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Italy.
The Project 2000 concept focuses the spotlight on Lippert's portfolio of slide-out products. Starting with a Renault-based motorhome from Lunar, Lippert set to work transforming flush walls into shape-shifting expanders. The largest addition is the Smart Room on the righthand driver side across from the entry door. This module slides out at camp, taking the sofa along with it to open up a spacious foyer/living area.
Moving back toward the rear bumper, the next Lippert addition is the powered patio-style door. This cleanly integrated tinted door provides a second entry point that mates perfectly with the small deck that Lippert built alongside it for the show. It'd look even better with a fold-out/slide-out deck integrated into the motorhome itself, but maybe next year.
Out back, the Project 2000 concept includes a second Smart Room slide-out. Smaller than the sofa slide, this one is built around the head of the bed, helping to free up more central interior space.
Rounding the corner to the passenger-side wall, the next stop is down low, where Lippert has installed a fabric fold-out. A different spin on the term "pup tent," this space gives small dogs (or other pets) their own sleeping nook. We're not sure what kind of small pet needs any extra space given how large the slide-expanded motorhome interior is, but we are sure many a dog would appreciate having its own little area for napping and looking out the window.
Continuing forward, the tall, skinny slide-out right next to the main entry door pulls the wet bath back from the spacious center of the motorhome. Inside this bath compartment, you'll find a simple layout with shower, fold-down sink and toilet.
The final slide-out is the smallest one, which Lippert calls a "micro slide." This little module holds a compact wine refrigerator and slides to open up a countertop and create a cozy, little wine bar. It seems the perfect spot to grab a nightcap before heading to bed.
With so much extra space, you might expect a large residential-style kitchen or bedroom, but Lippert hasn't taken it that far. In fact, the rooms and amenities are rather spartan, a small corner kitchen area with cooktop and microwave, a bed in the main living area, and a compact wet bath.
But the Project 2000 concept highlights slide-out components and how those components open up interior space, so the idea isn't necessarily to show one specific floor plan. It's not hard to imagine how that space could be put to use in other ways - constructing walls around the bed to make a master bedroom, adding a set of bunk beds or Project 2000 lift-away beds, splitting the toilet and shower into a dry bathroom, or creating a larger kitchen area.
Some other components that feature around the interior include a pop-up TV lift that stores the Furrion TV away below a tabletop when not in use, a one-touch electric leveling system and a large power sky roof that opens up for some fresh air and clear views.
The Project 2000 concept is certainly on the extreme side, but at least one Düsseldorf exhibitor highlighted a more practical motorhome design with built-in Lippert slide-out. The Adria Compact Plus SLS motorhome pictured below houses a rear bed in a Lippert slide-out.
The 2-minute video below doesn't feature the Project 2000 concept specifically, but it does highlight room slide-outs, hideaway appliance hardware, lift-away beds, and other components Project 2000 designs for improving motorhome roominess, comfort and convenience.
Source: Lippert Components