The first Robeta Adonis arrived on a blank page. No predecessors. No expectations to manage. Just a premium brief, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, and a designer given genuine freedom to find out what a top-tier Robeta could be.
The result won Campervan of the Year award and built a loyal following across Europe.
Now Luka Zajc, the designer behind the original, is finished working on the next generation. We asked him to take us inside both worlds: the first Adonis, and what he has prepared for the second.
When the original Adonis project began, the starting point was genuinely open.
"In the first phase of design, I don't constrain myself with technical limitations. I try to make the most of the blank page — generating as many creative design solutions as possible. In the process, it quickly becomes clear which direction is right."
Working through concept sketches with the Robeta team, the direction for Adonis defined itself relatively quickly. The shared goal was clear: a model that would feel like a Robeta from the first glance, but at a level that hadn't been reached before.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis introduced challenges the team hadn't faced before. Models on Stellantis chassis — Fiat, Citroën, and Opel — had been Robeta's foundation for years. The Sprinter was unfamiliar territory.
"The Mercedes chassis presents numerous challenges. Every detail we had been used to from Stellantis chassis had to be adapted slightly. Mercedes stands out with its premium presence, a more refined driving experience, and its overall image — but it is not as cargo-oriented as the Stellantis platform, and we had to adapt to that."
Some homologated components were more limited in availability. The seating cage — the structural frame for the passenger area — was one example where flexibility was constrained. But working within those limits, Luka says, is part of the craft.
"I believe that together with the engineers at Robeta, we achieved the maximum that the chassis and components could offer us at that point."
When we ask Luka to describe the design signature of the first Adonis, he gives two answers: one visual, one experiential.
Visually, it's the pull-out Kerrock counter — a kitchen surface that extends the workspace and integrates a sink in a way that feels architectural rather than functional. It's the kind of detail that reads differently depending on whether you're looking at it or using it.
Experientially, it's something harder to photograph: the feeling of being in a Mercedes, not in an addition to one.
"With Adonis, I tried to capture the recognisable Mercedes design language. My goal is for you to feel, inside the Adonis, that you are in a Mercedes-Benz. For the exterior and interior to be so cohesively connected that you feel at home in an instant —and that you experience the whole thing not as a conversion, but as a vehicle that was designed as one."
The bathroom completes this vision. Adonis features a door system that opens 180 degrees — a detail that sounds simple yet entirely changes how the space feels and functions. Premium materials add the rest.
"Adonis stands out from competitors with its exterior appearance, and the finishing touch is the first impression you get when you step inside. Premium materials and a considered choice of interiors. In the long run, of course, it's the usability we have woven into the elegant interior that keeps owners satisfied."
Feedback from first-generation Adonis owners has been, broadly, enthusiastic. The presence, the overall usability, the quality — all well received.
But some feedback was specific enough to shape what comes next.
The bathroom drew the most comments. Owners praised the premium materials and the look. What they wanted more of was space — and a separate shower area. The luggage compartment also received attention: impressively efficient in how it uses volume, but not everything is immediately accessible.
Owner feedback has played an important role in the development of the next generation.
"The opinion of users must be respected — they are the ones who live with the product. For all new projects, we try to draw on feedback from dealers and customer opinions."
Given the success of the first Adonis, the team took a clear approach to the next generation.
"Given that Adonis is the flagship model in Robeta's lineup and was warmly received by buyers, we decided on an evolutionary approach. The key elements of this model will be preserved. But all of them have been refreshed and refined."
The pull-out Kerrock counter stays. The glass bathroom door stays. The premium feel stays. What changes is everything around those anchors.
The bathroom is the most significant upgrade — a direct response to owner feedback.
"I can already reveal that the new Adonis will have a truly beautiful, spacious, and functional bathroom."
Specifically: a separate shower area, noticeably more space, and the same premium material language carried throughout.
The kitchen gains a larger refrigerator — a practical improvement requested by experienced owners.
The overhead lockers introduce a new detail: some open in the style of overhead cabin luggage compartments on aircraft. Satisfying to use, immediately intuitive, and visually distinctive.
A new, contemporary interior palette will allow even greater flexibility — buyers will be able to freely combine three base cabinet colours with up to five front panel options.
Technically, the van is also upgraded: new interior materials and refinements throughout the systems.
One of the more significant changes in the new Adonis is the seating configuration behind the cab.
The first generation featured two individual, fully adjustable seats for the third and fourth passenger — a premium touch that suited the model's positioning. In the new Adonis, these are replaced by a more compact bench seat — though not an ordinary one. It will be adjustable and swivel-mounted, so that in addition to its primary function of forward-facing seating, it can transform into a lounge arrangement, as owners of the Schumacher model will recognise. This way, Robeta has once again managed to maintain a top level of usability and innovation.
The reason is straightforward, and the data from owners made the decision easy.
"We needed that space for the bathroom. It was a relatively easy decision to make, because the vast majority of first-generation Adonis owners are couples. They made it clear that the individual seats are excellent, but used so rarely that we all agreed we were happy to give that space to the bathroom instead."
It's a trade-off that illustrates the discipline behind good campervan design: the right feature for the right customer, grounded in how people actually live in the vehicle — not how they imagine they might.
Adonis isn't the only new arrival. Alongside the second generation of Adonis, Robeta is introducing a new model: Robeta Hercules.
Built on a 6.9-metre Sprinter, with longitudinal beds, Hercules shares the Adonis DNA and a significant number of components. Its greater length has made it possible to include a wealth of features that couldn't find their place in Adonis due to space constraints. Itis a different answer to the same challenge — a longer vehicle, a different sleeping geometry, the same premium foundation. At its core, Hercules is an Adonis that openly flirts with the world of full-size liner coaches.
Given the choice, what would the designer himself put together?
"I'd go for a Sprinter 190 PS, 4x4, automatic. For Two layout. Off Grid package. New Silver Fantasy interior with Sunny Noon upholstery."
And how would he use it?
"Whenever time allows —for weekend escapes and longer independent journeys alike."
The new Robeta Adonis is part of the 2026 model year lineup. Full details and configuration options will be available in the configurator soon and the van will make its official premiere at the Caravan Salon Düsseldorf.
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