What comes to mind when thinking about recreational vehicles (RV) or the RV lifestyle? Others will recall the carefree life depicted in Feng Xiaogang’s "Be There or Be Square” (Bu Jian Bu San) – where the lead character sits relaxed under his van’s awning coiffing wine.

Now, all the dreamy scenes can come true.

 A foundation stone laying ceremony for a base for research, development, and production of SAIC Group’s Maxus campervan took place in Liyang, Jiangsu province on March 13.

Government officials attended the event included Fei Gaoyun, Party chief of Changzhou city, vice-mayor Liang Yibo, Liyang’s Party chief Jiang Feng and mayor Xu Huaqin, as well as SAIC President Chen Zhixin and vice president Lan Qingsong.

They also showed up for the official launch of SAIC Group’s Campsite for Maxus Campervans in Tianmu Lake Scenic Spot in Liyang city.

Guided by the Group’s strategy – “Electrification, Intelligentialize, Connection, and Sharing”, Maxus, as a leader in the van industry, is an innovation spearhead. It hopes to grow into a top brand in the domestic market, an important part of its C2B strategy.

Maxus focuses on both the supportive facilities for self-driving tours to meet the market demand and the customized products or customized manufacturing, which is encouraged by the state.

SAIC Maxus invested 1.7 billion yuan ($246.37 million) to build the 420-mu (280,000-square-meter) base, which is the first of its kind in China. It will bring in advanced equipment from Europe and construct a group of plants, ranging from flexible assembly, intelligent furniture, to carriage production. With the help of big data analysis, buyers can access high-quality customized vans. The base is expected to be the most advanced and largest R&D and production hub of campervans in China and provide a full range of smart vans. After it reaches the planned production capacity, it will produce more than 250,000 every year with the annual sales topping 6 billion yuan.

“Outside the van is the world, and inside the van is your home” How to fully combine the trip with your life? Vans have become a part of leisure tourism or even a part of life, and the travelling by van is a personalized lifestyle. The complete supportive facilities have made a mature industrial chain combining van, campsites and scenic spots. The scenic spots provide tourism resources and the campsites offers services such as accommodation, supply and maintainance. At present, Maxus has developed 80 routes for van tour and signed contracts with 125 campsites, covering more than 20 provinces and cities across China. SAIC Maxus also set up a big data -based online platform for van rental, sales, van tour planning, and campsite booking.

SAIC Maxus’ Tianmuhu Van Campsite covers two sites. One is located in Wanghuling, and the other is the newly unveiled Linhu campsite, which is located by a lake and has 30 parking lots in a 6,000 -sqm area. Van drivers can access the self-service water-electricity supply devices through online registration and booking. There are also 24-hour shower and sanitary facilities. The quietness and scenic landscape is ideal for both rest and fishing. Meanwhile, the campsite is adjacent to a commercial street, where is home to restaurants and entertainment facilities. Although there are only simple facilities, people can also find a quiet place in a noisy business district.

In addition, the Wanghuling campsite will be completed in June. It will offer more than 50 parking lots for vans in an area of 18,000 sqm. Standing in the commanding height of Tianmu Lake, the campsite is a good place to watch the scenic landscape of the lake and appreciate the sunrise and sunset. There are restaurants, self-service kitchen and self-service laundry and facilities for parent-child activities. People have to make reservation, which ensures a private and quite environment. They can live in vans or the tents and log cabins, which is a different from the camping experience in Linhu campsite.

Every new lifestyle comes from concept renovation and technology innovation. The construction of SAIC Maxus’s Van R&D and production base, together with the opening of Linhu campsite is a landmark for the formation of “Tianmu Lake Van Ecosphere”

As the domestic tourism industry is heating up and the people’s demand on van consumption is increasing, China’s recreational vehicle industry has stepped into the fast lane of development. As a leader in the RV industry, SAIC Maxus is actively promoting the new way of life and creating an ecosphere for the development through improving quality and optimizing consumption structure, hoping to continuously help consumer goods to upgrade and improve people’s livelihood, and achieve Chinese government's development priorities -- “innovation, coordination, green, opening-up and sharing”, ultimately promote the deepening of supply-side structural reform, as well as lead the development of RV industry and create a China’s own "van life" culture.