Tonke
Reinventing the Camper Roof, Sideways
How do you fit a full-size double bed into a compact electric camper without sacrificing headroom, interior layout or legal height limits? That was the puzzle Tonke brought to ManGo Product Design for their ID. Buzz Explorer, based on the iconic Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Our role was to develop the concept design and production strategy for a completely new type of lifting roof. The ambition was big: maximum sleeping comfort, minimal visual impact and a roof that feels as smart as the vehicle underneath it.
Thinking Sideways Opens New Space
Most camper roofs hinge forward, because that’s how it’s always been done. We decided to ignore that tradition and looked sideways instead. A side-opening roof suddenly unlocked new possibilities, including a proper double bed positioned above the cabin, without blocking the rear bench seat when folded away. All of this had to fit within the strict legal height limit of 2.050 mm and work seamlessly with the existing interior. A classic ManGo brief: tight constraints, lots of creativity required
A Bed That Knows What to Do
The heart of the concept is a clever mechanism that unfolds the bed automatically as the roof opens. At the same time, the tent fabric stretches neatly into place, creating a clean, taut enclosure without manual wrestling. During the concept phase , we explored movement and geometry using an unexpectedly effective toolset: Technic LEGO combined with in-house 3D-printed parts. Fast, flexible and surprisingly honest, because if it doesn’t work in LEGO, it probably won’t work in real life either. A key challenge was ensuring that even tall users, up to two meters, can stand upright underneath the deployed bed. This required the mechanism to lift the bed vertically as it unfolds, creating headroom exactly where it’s needed.
From Bold Concept to Buildable Reality
Once the concept proved itself, we investigated production methods that could scale better than traditional hand-laid polyester. We explored a wide range of options, including thermoforming, superformed aluminium, liquid resin moulding, vacuum casting and foam-based rotational moulding. With a roof measuring nearly three meters by one and a half, reality quickly set in: few suppliers could handle parts this large without serious tooling investments , and lightweight plastics lacked the stiffness needed for a load-bearing structure. In the end, an epoxy-based composite offered the best balance between strength, durability and manufacturability. Tonke took over the detailed engineering and production, turning the concept into a striking, practical camper solution. Proof that sometimes, the smartest way forward… is sideways.
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