At a time when the number of companies establishing themselves as producers of adventure travel vehicles is on a steady rise, there’s a not-so-new kid on the block producing expedition trucks to fill the bracket between 5 and 7.49 tons. Despite being founded as recently as January 13th, 2020, FüsSlightline UG is Frank Oechsner’s brainchild and the younger sibling of his well-established, high-end expedition vehicle manufacture, Füss Mobile GmbH.
Until now, Frank Oechsner developed and produced exclusive custom-built technically capable vehicles, with handcrafted interiors of impeccable design and durability, for a financially blessed clientele. However, he has been nurturing an idea to create a new breed of adventure sports vehicles for an enthusiastic customer group.
CONCEPT
Using the increasingly popular IVECO Daily chassis fitted with a purpose-designed 3-point subframe, the vehicle is completed with an ultra-light GRP cabin. In order to streamline production and reduce lead times, there will be a shortlist of interior layouts the customer can choose from. Some interiors are designed around a lift bed and a retractable dinette designed to easily clear space for sports equipment (motorcycles, mountain bikes, and other voluminous items) which can be loaded through an expansive door in the rear wall.
Q&A WITH FRANK OECHSNER
To what extent can the customer influence the specification of the interior?
We won’t offer more than four standard Lightline configurations. We are still in the development phase and, to be honest, we had hoped to use interaction with customers at the 4×4 Rhein Waal to add definition to our own thoughts. Here are a few of the examples of what we have in mind, each of which pivots around the ability to quickly convert from comfortable accommodation to a spacious storage bay and back again.
If the customer would like to have a more personalised solution, then FüsSlightline will supply the empty cabin and leave realisation of an individual design to Füss Mobile GmbH. This will, of course, incur more time than the standard concept.
What materials will you use for the cabin construction?
We’ll stick to what we know: GRP sandwich panels and aluminium profiles; 60 mm floor and ceiling, 40 mm walls, all with 1.4 mm skins inside and out. The aluminium profiles are 120 x 80 x 3 mm and overlapped at the corners in accordance with the proven strategy employed on all Füss cabin builds.
How will you minimise the weight of the interior furnishings?
I don’t want to disclose too much at the moment, but as far as our standardised Lightline interiors are concerned, we are going to use a super-light material with a high pressure laminate surface and finished with either plastic or real wood edging.
Where does the table disappear to when the seating area is folded away?
Trust me when I say you’re going to be impressed. But for now, it’s a secret.
Are you going to standardise the cabin sizes, or can the customer be creative?
If the customer chooses a standard Lightline cabin, then it will come in predetermined sizes, otherwise our pre-configured interior design concepts won’t work. However, we will supply custom-built cabin sizes either as self-build projects or for completion by Füss Mobile. Pricing will vary according to the customer’s expectations.
How much does a 3.80 m cabin weigh?
The 3.80 m cabin weighs 400 kg including the entrance and rear doors plus 230 kg for the subframe. The 4.60 cabin weighs 530 kg plus 325 kg for the subframe. Hatches and doorframes are made by Hünerkopf.
Can you give me an estimation of basic costs?
Prices for the newly developed 3-point subframe with a fully equipped (but not lavish) Lightline cabin begin at €120,000 excluding the cost of the vehicle. There will, of course, be a list of optional accessories and it’s up to the customer to determine how far he needs or wants to stretch his budget.
An empty shell (3-point subframe and a door) can be as little as €25,000 depending on the size.
When will you make the FüsSlightline series available?
There’s no time like the present. With COVID-19 disrupting the shows, our marketing plans have been shaken up so we are focussing on some online advertising and editorials.
Currently, we’re putting the finishing touches to the interior of the 3.80 m cabin which is on the IVECO Daily Crew Cab equipped by Achleitner Allrad. The factory Iveco Daily 4×4 is available either with the empty cabin or fully fitted.
Both vehicles are for sale now. A second 3.80 m cabin is also under construction and will be prepared for mounting to a factory IVECO Daily.
We’re ready to continue building as soon as the first order comes in.
Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, we can still be reached by telephone or e-mail.
