Two great adventure vehicle manufacturers with solid reputations for success in delivering innovation, quality, and excellent customer experiences to the rapidly growing Overlanding community are now coming together in a merger designed to create a powerful leader in the adventure travel world.
Storyteller Overland, which has in short order established itself as the insurgent leader in the Class-B RV Adventure Van space, announced Wednesday that it has acquired Global Expedition Vehicles, LLC – the world’s leading manufacturer of expedition vehicles and bespoke Adventure Trucks.
“We are confident that Storyteller Overland has the vision and expertise to build on the legacy of standard-setting, premium quality, boutique-style expedition vehicles that GXV has been synonymous with for 17 years,” said Rene’ Van Pelt, co-founder and owner of Global Expedition Vehicles along with her husband, Mike Van Pelt. “The rugged Adventure Trucks that we build are a natural progression, the next step up for Storyteller customers in the line of overlanding vehicles. This merger will allow both companies to grow and expand in a collaborative production of the Adventure Truck Series together.”
Following the acquisition – which was officially announced today on site at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, FL – Global Expedition Vehicles will continue to provide its expansive lineup of custom expedition vehicles to its customers in North America and beyond. Merging with Storyteller Overland will create a rapid expansion of the market for the Adventure Truck Series, which will ultimately be offered on both the Ford F550 or Ram 5500 chassis.
As a result of this acquisition, Storyteller Overland will be in a greatly enhanced position to introduce the world’s first higher volume production models of the GXV style Super C RV and Adventure Trucks. While the custom Global X and GXV rigs will continue to be built in Springfield, MO; the higher volume, repeat build Adventure Truck units will be built by the Storyteller team in their newly expanded facilities in Birmingham, AL to meet the increasing demand for this type of off road, off grid, long range expedition vehicle.
As with Storyteller’s industry-leading line of Class B RV Adventure Vans, known as the “MODE4x4” range (including the Class, Stealth, and Beast MODEs), the new Storyteller GXV line of Adventure Trucks will feature a focused floor plan and game-changing feature set that is RVIA certified, and which will be made available for purchase with the same type of industry first “see through” no-haggle pricing via Storyteller Overland’s nationwide dealer network.
Global Expedition Vehicles will keep its company name, and its legendary brand intact, as Mike and Rene’ Van Pelt will remain heavily involved in steering the combined destiny and future growth of the business as President and Vice President of Global Expedition Vehicles, LLC.
“The heart of Global X will remain here in Springfield, with our world class crew of designers, artisans, and technicians continuing to craft the world’s finest custom expedition rigs for clients right here at our shop. So in that way nothing will change,” noted Mike Van Pelt. “We are excited that GXV is growing and expanding with the Adventure Trucks collaboration with Storyteller, and we will remain just as passionately involved as we always have been. We also hope to be more involved in adventure travel with the current GXV and Storyteller owner community, mixing work with as much overland travel as possible.”
“This merger is an exciting moment for the entire overlanding community,” said Jeffrey Hunter, founder and chief executive officer of Storyteller Overland. “We are grateful for our partnership with the Van Pelts and the stellar team they have built at GXV and want to be excellent stewards of their world renown brand. Obviously we are huge fans of the products and reputation they have built, and we are energized by the thought of what we will build together moving forward. For us, this is simply the next step in keeping our promise to constantly inspire and equip our growing community of adventurer travelers all around the world with the proper gear, resources, and mindset to ‘Live Free, Explore Endlessly, and Tell Better Stories.'”
