Hymer is launching its all-new Exsis-i range at this year’s Düsseldorf show, which opens to the public tomorrow.
The Exsis-i range started as a line-up of compact ’vans that were part-coachbuilt, part-A-class. Due to poor interest they were reconfigured as more conventional A-classes, albeit with narrow habitation bodies – at 2.19m – and built on the Ford Transit base.
This newest incarnation of Exsis-i sees the Transit dropped in favour of the Fiat Ducato, and the habitation totally redesigned to match the new Hymer look pioneered by last year’s B-Class – with clean lines, large light clusters and a flat, high-roofed front.
The new Exsis-i is 3cm wider than its predecessor, but at 2.22m it’s still compact, and it should be nippy, too, thanks to the standard-issue 130bhp engine. It traditionally sits at the bottom of Hymer’s range, but it nevertheless promises to be a tour de force of build quality, with a wood-free habitation body, Hymer’s patented PUAL wall construction, an AL-KO low-frame chassis and aluminium-framed windows. Expect class-leading payloads, as well, with every model having a mass in running order ‘well under 3000kg’, according to Hymer.
At press time no details were available on the individual models in the range, but the pictures we were sent by Hymer show a model designated ‘674’, which isn’t found in the outgoing Exsis-I range. This suggests that we can expect the number of models to increase (the current range has only two).
In addition to the Exsis-i ’vans, Hymer expects to have the world’s first roadworthy – but not production-ready – hybrid motorhome on display at Düsseldorf. It’s a specially modified B578 with an electric motor driving the rear wheels, and a traditional diesel-burner powering the front wheels.
The Hymer Group – which includes Dethleffs, Bürstner and Laika – recently announced a share buyback initiative, designed to withdraw the company from the stock market and take it back into the hands of founder Erwin Hymer and his family.
