Westfalia Americas
“Wake up somewhere new”
About Westfalia Americas
Westfalia is a camper-van brand with roots as a German coachbuilder founded in 1844 by Johann Bernhard Knöbel; its camper-conversion business began in earnest in 1951 with the Westfalia Camping Box, built on the Volkswagen Type 2 chassis, which became a fixture of North American road culture for decades. Westfalia was acquired by Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz) in 2001, ending its long Volkswagen partnership and its North American presence. Roadtrek Inc., part of Groupe Rapido since 2019, now manufactures Westfalia-branded camper vans (the Wave series) in Ontario, Canada, and relaunched the brand in the North American market in 2024.
How they build
Westfalia frames its current products around a European coachbuilding heritage of adventure, comfort and modern styling, emphasizing sit/sleep-convertible seating, storage versatility and 'Euro' design language carried forward by Roadtrek and the Rapido Group.
- European-styled camper vans
- Wave Pop-Top & Skylight models
- VW Type 2 camper-van heritage
- Roadtrek Inc./Groupe Rapido manufacturing
Milestones
- 1844Westfalia debuts as Johann Bernhard Knöbel's forge, building horse-drawn carts
- 1951The Westfalia Camping Box is created on the VW Type 2 Bus chassis, launching the brand's camper-van business
- 1960The SO 34 motorhome is introduced with a folding roof, achieving major commercial success in America
- 1970Westfalia launches the Mercedes-Benz James Cook and Sven Hedin camper vans, becoming a fixture on North American roads
- 2001Westfalia is acquired by Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz), ending the Volkswagen partnership and North American presence
- 2024Westfalia relaunches in North America, now produced in Ontario, Canada by Roadtrek Inc. (Groupe Rapido) with the Westfalia Wave
