Chausson celebrates 40 years of motorhomes

In 1980 Chausson launched its first motorhome at the Paris car show, the Odyssée 4000, which was a high-top campervan. The company was created in 1903 making vehicle radiators, reservoirs and car bodies, moving into the manufacture of coaches in 1942 (until 1959). Actually, some of these buses still in existence today have been converted to campervans.

It was the famous Paris Automobile Show in 1980 where we saw the Chausson Odyssé 4000, a high-top based on the Peugeot J9. Four years later, the first overcabs - Acapulco 44 and 56 - joined the line-up.

The company was bought by the Trigano group just 10 years later in 1994. We saw the introduction of the Welcome name just a year later, with prices for a limited series of overcabs starting at Fr177,900 (around €27,000).

The Flash range was introduced in 2005 offering value-for-money models, an ethos that continues today with the current Flash models.

Continuing a series of innovative designs to come from the Chausson team, 2012 saw the introduction of the panoramic system, essentially a large tailgate style hatch on the side of the motorhome. Then in 2015, Chausson was the first manufacturer to offer customers the choice between Ford Transit and Fiat Ducato for the base vehicle.