This may be the clearest signal of impending elections. Politicians are queuing up to order hi-tech luxury caravans – clearly with an eye on comfort while pounding the election trail.

Bus coach manufacturer JCBL, which is entering the caravans market shortly, said it has already got expression of interest from several politicians, as well as business tycoons. In fact, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is said to have already booked one.

With the 2014 general elections coming, there would be many buyers for such vehicles, JCBL hopes. Its pitch is that these mobile homes will give buyers access to customised comfort, as well as savings on food and lodging while on the road.

“We had made a similar van for Akhilesh Yadav during his election campaigns in Uttar Pradesh and he has already promised to buy the first caravan from us,” Rajinder Aggarwal, Chairman and Managing Director, JCBL told Business Line .

Two models

The company will unveil two models on Sunday — HS75 and M742 — priced at Rs 75 lakh and Rs 80 lakh and branded as JCBL-PLA.

The caravans will be no less than a luxury hotel, with five full size beds, toilet and bathroom with shower, a kitchen table with four burners, a satellite television and a refrigerator.

Such a caravan was used by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in the movie Swades released in 2004. Similar vehicles have been developed for stars and businessmen as vanity vans and conference rooms, some even with a gym, by vehicle designers like Dilip Chhabria.

JCBL has tied up with Italian company PLA, an acronym for its founder, Pierluigi Alinari, who started making such recreational vehicles in 2010 in the so called ‘Caravan Valley’ district located in Tuscany. He has been in the field since 1970.

JCBL will import all the parts of the vehicle from PLA and assemble them in its facility located in Punjab (on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway). Both the companies’ engineers will work together to develop these vehicles.

The companies are excited and confident about this market as they will be the first ones to make caravans on a big scale. Once full-fledged operations start, in the next four months, JCBL expects to sell at least 100 vehicles over the next 12 months.

Tour operators

“We are confident of the Indian market and there are customers who want to buy such vehicles. Even if 8 per cent of the Indian population is interested in buying these vehicles, then 1 per cent will at least buy,” Pierlugi Alinari quipped.

According to Aggarwal, there are many interested buyers from the travel and tour industry also, for giving out these caravans on rent. These companies are expected to charge around Rs 30,000 for a day, he said adding that such companies would be JCBL’s main customers.

Asked about after-sales services, since 100 per cent parts of the vehicle will be imported, including the 3-litre engine from Fiat, Aggarwal said JCBL has already taken care of it and if any problem, all Fiat service stations in the country will resolve the issues.

Looking at the business opportunity for the caravans, he said the company expects 10 per cent of its total turnover to come from this segment in 2014 financial year.

JCBL expects a turnover of Rs 275-300 crore by then from a total turnover of Rs 200 crore last year, he added.

ronendrasingh.s@thehindu.co.in

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