MDC: Leading the Charge in Off-Road Caravan Innovation
MDC has long been at the helm of off-road caravan innovation, consistently pushing the boundaries of what's possible in outdoor adventure. At the www.OnlyVans.com.au 2024 Caravan & Camper Excellence Round-Up, Sam Moorhouse, MDC’s marketing manager, showcased their latest strides in caravan technology with the introduction of the Mk III series: the XT-19 HRT Mk III and the AUSRV XL-15E Mk III.
The standout feature of the Mk III range is the AC+ power upgrade. “That entails a 600Ah lithium battery capacity in all models and increased solar capacity, which delivers some of the fastest charging capabilities on the market,” Sam explains.
Off-Grid Capabilities Like Never Before
In the XT-19 HRT MKIII, that increased capacity means owners are hitting the road with a market-leading 1.2kW of rooftop solar, an addition that allows owners to get off-grid for longer, even in less-than-ideal conditions.
“Ultimately, that translates to super fast battery recharging rates to make the most of opportunistic weather. If you’re not having full days of sunshine, 1225W of solar gives you the capacity to grab that sun when it is available,” Sam adds.
Balancing Comfort and Functionality
Convenience is the name of the game at MDC, and it is clear that every design decision is made with the customer in mind. For the 15-foot XL-15E, which includes the addition of a club lounge, a feature Sam tells me is “hugely popular.”
“It’s about finding that balance between functionality and comfort. People off-grid want to have everything they need, and the Mk III range now means you don’t have to sacrifice the luxuries in place of the essentials. You can now Escape for Longer,” Sam says.
Like many of the brands I spoke to at the Round-Up, these inclusions often result directly from customer feedback. For a brand of MDC’s size, that means hearing from tens of thousands of owners.
“We’ve got over 20,000 people in our MDC & AUSRV owner’s group, so we’ve got a huge customer base for feedback,” Sam tells me.
“We want to listen to what the customers are telling us and the feedback they’re giving us, and that is ‘We want to be able to use major appliances like Air con off-grid, we have high power demands, we want induction cooking,’” he adds.
Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Customer Base
However, the size of the range can also be a hindrance, and I wonder if, given the breadth of MDC’s range, it makes it difficult to respond to consumer desires in the same way that a smaller, specialist brand can. “We recognise there is a huge number of segments in the market,” Sam acknowledges, adding, “There’s no one person that buys an MDC.”
Although there is no ‘one’ MDC customer, there is undeniably something for everyone in their range. Even two vans that sit within the same family, like the off-road Mk III models Sam has brought along, offer two very different options.
Tailoring Options for Different Lifestyles
“The XT-19 HRT MKIII is a luxury, comfort van for the couple that wants to go out and live in a van for 12 or 18 months or simply to enjoy a comfortable long weekend,” Sam says, while the XL-15E “is for someone who may not have a bigger vehicle to tow with, it suits a dual-cab ute.”
“These are two couples vans targeting different tow capabilities and living styles, but also distinct price points too,” he adds. The upside of having such a range is that it allows MDC to keep customers within the brand’s ecosystem throughout their lifetime, a major benefit in times of market contraction like we’ve experienced over the past 18 months.
“A key section of our customer base is upgrading customers, so they’ve had an MDC before, and they want to buy another one, and our discussions with them give us a barometer check,” Sam says when I ask him how they’ve navigated the recent downturn.
“Our owner's group is a very good voice. We have a constant stream of communication coming out of that that offers key insights into people’s attitudes towards the market, their living conditions, what their plan is.”
Such loyalty is a testament to MDC’s ability to deliver not only a great product but also an experience that keeps its customers coming back year after year, at every stage of their lives.
Nationwide Support for Off-Road Adventurers
“We want to give people confidence… Part of that is also recognising that people want that support throughout the country, so we do pride ourselves on customer service and after-sales support,” Sam says.
“We’ve now got a nationwide service repair network in place. We’ve got 60 agents around the country, so if MDC owners need support on the road, it's never far away. It's all about standing behind our motto, ‘Escape with Confidence.’ We want to make sure customers feel supported in their purchase from the moment they pull out of the showroom.”
Looking Ahead: Innovation and Quality Compliance
Despite its size and success, MDC’s goals for the future remain very much grounded in reality and in continuing to deliver what got them to where they are.
“It’s about continuing to evolve. It’s the constant battle of weight: how do we make these things bigger and better but still keep the weight within a tow vehicle’s capacity?”
For now, MDC’s main focus is on compliance and delivering quality products, which Sam tells me is about giving its customers even more confidence and trust in the brand.
“With the RVMAP accreditation, that is something that we’re voluntarily part of, but also our ISO 9001 quality assurance accreditation, which makes sure that what we’re doing is within the global standards of quality manufacturing.”
Above all else, though, MDC is about one thing.
“We want to continue being a leader in the design and innovation of caravans and hybrids in Australia and offer every customer the ability to Escape with Confidence.”
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