This business signed a $3.5m export deal. Then Trump’s tariffs hit
“The tariff is difficult to digest, and we’re trying to decide on the impact on demand on sales volumes if we pass it on. If the tariff is 10 per cent, we’ve got to account for that immediate 10 per cent tariff cost on these products which directly increases our landing costs,” Paidoussis said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled the tariffs as unwarranted, saying “this is not the act of a friend”, and Paidoussis hoped the government will push back. While he accepts that the shifting goal posts push small businesses like Crusader to innovate, he hopes for swift government action to protect Australian manufacturers.
“The caravan industry is one of the last bastions of the manufacturing industry and if’s not protected to some degree, it would be a hell of a shame for it to go down the same path as the car industry,” he says.
“We should be going back to Trump and pushing to understand why he’s doing this to Australia. Other than beef, I don’t think we pose a threat to them in any way, shape or form.”
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Crusader Caravans has been achieving record sales month-on-month over the past six months after releasing its 2025 models in October last year.
Aimed at the mum-and-dad market, the company manufacturers up to 50 caravans a week, or more than 2000 a year. Crusader employs 250 people at its Epping manufacturing facility and has more than 28 models in its 2025 range priced from $50,000 to $180,000.
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