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Hymer VisionVenture CMT2020

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Hymer just showed the camper van world what 2025 could look like.

At the CMT (Caravan, Motor, Tourism) trade fair in Stuttgart in early 2020, Hymer rolled out the VisionVenture concept it first unveiled at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf back in 2019. Built with the chemicals giant BASF, the dark-green off-roader is less a traditional motorhome and more a rolling test bed for materials, design ideas, and off-grid technology the industry could see on production vehicles within the next five years. It’s the kind of concept that makes you rethink what a “camper” is even supposed to look like.

• Hymer and BASF jointly developed the VisionVenture on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis with an all-wheel-drive powertrain, aimed at off-road self-sufficiency rather than pavement touring.
• BASF’s Chromacool paint technology lowers the van’s surface temperature by up to 20°C and interior temperature by up to 4°C, while more than 100 3D-printed body parts and wheel arch moldings replace conventional bodywork.
• An inflatable pop-up roof with 7-centimeter honeycomb walls fills with conditioned air in under 60 seconds to create an upper sleeping loft, and a two-piece split tailgate drops down into a private patio deck with a built-in barbecue station.

A Joint Project, Not a Solo Concept

The VisionVenture isn’t a Hymer-only design study — BASF’s fingerprints are all over it, from the paint chemistry to the interior surfacing. That partnership is the whole point of the exercise: Hymer supplies the vehicle-building know-how, BASF supplies materials science, and the result is a concept meant to demonstrate what’s actually manufacturable, not just a design-team fantasy. It first appeared publicly at Caravan Salon 2019 in Düsseldorf before making the CMT2020 stop in Stuttgart.

The Off-Road Platform Underneath

Strip away the styling and the VisionVenture sits on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis running an all-wheel-drive powertrain — a deliberate choice for a vehicle built around getting off the beaten path rather than cruising campground loops. Fans of Sprinter-based builds who want to see how that same chassis gets converted for full-time living should check out the Sprinter Van Converted to Beautiful Tiny Home build, which shows the more conventional end of what that platform can become.

For power and thermal management off-grid, Hymer leaned on photovoltaic roof panels, high-performance plastics, and advanced insulation systems rather than promising a specific electric range — the concept is engineered around energy efficiency and self-sufficiency, not a battery-only drivetrain claim.

Chromacool Paint and a 3D-Printed Body

The exterior is where BASF’s chemistry shows up most visibly. Chromacool paint pulls surface temperatures down by as much as 20°C and cabin temperatures by up to 4°C, a genuinely practical feature for a vehicle meant to sit parked in direct sun during a desert or backcountry stay. Hymer paired that with over 100 individually 3D-printed body components, including the wheel arch moldings — a manufacturing approach few production RV makers have attempted at this scale.

Over 100 individually 3D-printed parts cover the VisionVenture’s body, down to the wheel arch moldings.

Inside: A Staircase, a Wet Room, and an Inflatable Roof

Step inside and the apartment-and-yacht influence Hymer talked up is obvious. A fixed, illuminated staircase doubles as storage and leads up to the roof loft, passing an integrated drawer refrigerator along the way. The compact wet room uses BASF Veneo Slate veneer with a swiveling wall system that converts the toilet room into a walk-in shower — a space-saving trick that owners of off-grid rigs like the one in the Custom Built Off-Grid Expedition Yacht tour would recognize immediately.

Materials throughout lean natural and lightweight — slate, bamboo, and wood instead of the laminate and vinyl typical of production motorhomes. At the rear, the two-piece split tailgate drops to form a private patio deck and barbecue station beneath a panoramic wraparound window lounge, turning the back of the vehicle into outdoor living space the moment you park.

The signature party trick, though, is the roof. Its 7-centimeter honeycomb walls inflate with conditioned air in roughly 60 seconds, popping up a full sleeping loft on demand — a feature that solves the age-old camper problem of standing headroom versus sleeping space without a single hand crank.

Off-Grid by Design

Every piece of the VisionVenture points toward the same goal: extended time away from campgrounds and shore power. The photovoltaic roof panels, the insulation upgrades, and the high-performance plastics all serve that off-grid mission rather than any single flashy spec. Anyone who’s spent time studying serious off-grid builds — the kind covered in the EarthRoamer LTi Interior Walkthrough — will recognize the same priorities here: energy self-sufficiency and thermal management taking precedence over creature comforts for their own sake.

Hymer hasn’t put a production date or price on the VisionVenture, and it remains a concept built to prove out ideas rather than a vehicle you can order from a dealer. But between the Chromacool paint, the 3D-printed body panels, and that 60-second inflatable roof, it’s a clear signal of which direction the company’s design language — and possibly its production lineup — is heading toward 2025.