Thor 2Q Sales Soar On RV Strength, Topping Analysts' Views
 Thor Industries's (THO) fiscal second-quarter revenue nearly doubled from a year earlier on sharply stronger sales of recreational vehicles, easily topping analysts' estimates.

Chairman and President Peter B. Orthwein said the improvement "so far this season" leads Thor "to anticipate continued performance gains throughout 2010."
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RV facility to take over ex-Honda site
There are exceptions to the grim rules of today's bleak economy, and two of them are on the same northwest corner of I-10 and South Palo Verde road.

There, in a city full of vacant commercial real estate, an agent was able to lease out a purpose-built retail facility and huge lot just two weeks after it was vacated.
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RV manufacturer's assets sold
JUNCTION CITY, Ore. (AP) - It took less than an hour to auction $2.58 million worth of Country Coach motor homes that were the highlight of a marathon liquidation sale.

The high-end RV manufacturer founded 37 years ago in Junction City has gone out of business and its assets are being sold to satisfy creditors under order of a bankruptcy judge.
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Motorhomes raise the roof
THANKS to a leap in demand, an Island motor-home manufacturer has announced a 50 per cent increase in production and the creation of five jobs.

Low interest rates, more UK holidays, a change of image and even mickey-taking at the hands of the BBC Top Gear team, were all said to have contributed to recent success for Romahome, according to boss Brian Bailey.
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Thor Industries Shuffles Management Structure After CEO Death
 Thor Industries Inc. (THO) shook up its management structure, putting the head of Thor's core recreational-vehicle brand in charge of all its RV operations and having its chief operating officer in charge of developing new businesses.

The company's top ranks were shaken late last year as Wade F. B. Thompson--Thor's chairman, chief executive and cofounder--died in November. Cofounder Peter B. Orthwein was named interim chairman and CEO. Click to Read More

Rash of RV fires raises space heater warnings
Two people have been killed, two injured, and at least six RVs destroyed in the last three weeks across the US in incidents linked to the use of electric space heaters. The winter heating season has arrived, and fire officials say more caution needs to be exercised by those who would take off the chill with space heaters.
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RV's Going Green
Economists called it the first sign of trouble, when the sales of recreational vehicles plummeted several years ago. But there's been a shift in gears and perhaps a sign of a financial comeback, because RV sales are on the rise.

If you haven't checked out RV's in a while, you may be surprised to see what they have to offer. Many now have flat-screen TV's, microwaves, dishwashers and much more.
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Rising Motorhome Sales As Younger Generation Flocks To RV Lifestyle
Phoenix, AZ, United States (AHN) - Sales of recreational vehicles from October 2008 to October 2009 rose 23 percent and an economist predicted a 27 rise in sales for this year.

Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) president Richard Coon said Tuesday that the October-to-October sales of 16,600 units may total 159,500 wholesale units for 2009.
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Candlestick RV Park draws the faithful
On a recent morning, Wes Bradford woke up in his red and gold 45-foot motor home, donned a San Francisco 49ers shirt and started working on dinner for 50.

Bradford, a Bakersfield resident, was nearly 300 miles from home, but he couldn't have been more comfortable: Candlestick RV Park, where his motor home was parked, has been a vacation destination for Bradford and many of his friends for two decades.
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There’s snow time like the present for some Sierra RV parks
Most Sierra campgrounds and RV parks shut down in winter, but a few stay open to accommodate cross-country skiers, snowshoers, skiers and snowmobile enthusiasts.

“We put our water lines down deep enough so they don’t freeze,” says Wally Walker, manager of the 44-site Eagle Ridge RV Park in Graeagle, Calif.
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Camping out along the Rose Parade route: RVs and sleeping bags There are two kinds of camping along the route of the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s day: snuggling in sleeping bags around a charcoal fire, or playing cards in cozy RV.

Not only are RV dwellers more comfortable (and warmer), they have an important role to play in pre-Rose Parade security. Since the terrorists attacks of 2001, the Pasadena Police Department has recruited RV campers to report suspicious activity along the parade route. Police department volunteers go door-to-door among the RVs to give people information on what to look for and how to report it.
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Thor loans $10M to RV dealer network
Thor Industries Inc. is loaning $10 million to the owners of one of its RV dealer networks.

Shelby County-based Thor (NYSE:THO) made the loan to be used for working capital by FreedomRoads LLC, whose 47 dealerships across the country accounted for 15 percent of Thor’s RV sales in fiscal year 2009, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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NOT WITHOUT A HITCH: RVs grow green and grand in I-X Center Supershow
The answer to that perennial question parks this week at the I-X Center beginning Wednesday.

Located near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the I-X Center celebrates a different mode of transportation, taking off with the 34th annual Great Lakes Recreation Vehicle Association’s Ohio RV Supershow.
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Modern explorer Brian Brawdy shares his passion at Ohio RV Supershow
Brian Brawdy insists that he's not an extremist, and maybe he's right.

"I don't bungee jump," said the former New York City police officer. And according to his press materials, his home features "a complete kitchen, a queen-sized bed, a full bath, an entertainment center and button-controlled sliding walls." Click to Read More

Poster Child for Recession Shows Signs of Recovery
When Ed Neufeldt introduced Barack Obama at a speech in Elkhart County in February, the new president promised the laid off RV worker would find a job.

Since then, Neufeldt has found two, setting up bread displays in grocery stores and working with a company that hopes to hire hundreds of people to make electric motors.

"If I was on unemployment, I'd be bringing home more money than I bring home from both jobs," said Neufeldt, 63, of Wakarusa. "But that's OK, I want to work and I feel like I'm helping the economy a little not being on the unemployment ranks."
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Lights Out for Some Facilities: City to close RV Park, turn off lights at park sites
With lower sales tax revenues and a suffering economy, the City of Bartlesville will close an RV Park and lights will be shut off at various facilities as city officials look for more ways to save money in a tightening budget.
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Demand for Olympic RV parking lower than expected
One of two Vancouver beaches approved for RV parking during the Olympic Games might not be needed anymore because reservations have fallen short of expectations.

This summer, the Vancouver Park Board approved three lots (or 110 spaces) at Jericho Beach and five lots (or about 200 spaces) at Spanish Banks to be used for RV parking during the Games. Click to Read More

Tax break for buying a new car, truck or rv is about to expire
If you missed out on the “Cash for Clunkers” program, that doesn’t mean you still can’t get some money back from the federal government for buying a new car. You can still drive away with a new vehicle and get a tax break if you buy that vehicle before the end of this year.
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NASCAR sets up camp at RV resorts
How to enhance the great outdoors at campgrounds that already boast restaurants, putt-putt golf, Wi-Fi and other decidedly non-roughing-it amenities?

By erecting jumbo video screens and throwing mass NASCAR tailgate parties, that's how.

Or that's the plan announced today by the auto racing group, which has joined ranks with Morgan RV Resorts to create a network of NASCAR-branded campgrounds.
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Chicago Tribune Greg Burns column: RV sales shift out of reverse, point economy down slow road to recovery
Before housing hit the skids, credit got crunched and the unemployment rate shot into double digits, the market for recreational vehicles started to plummet.

Economists view RVs as an early indicator of where the economy is going, and, as it turned out, the rest of the planet followed motor homes and travel trailers right over the edge. Click to Read More

Spartan Motors' Next Generation Platform Showcases New RV Chassis Design
Spartan's decision to develop the NGP was based on research on the RV purchasing process. Spartan determined that an attractive exterior was needed to lure potential buyers into the RV, where the interior's floor plan and features then played crucial roles in the sale. The interior (not including the driver's cockpit) typically made or broke the deal, and similar to other premium consumer products, the predominant decision maker in the buying process was female. According to Spartan, an RV's interior styling and features are a female's primary driving points, not towing capacity or engine availability.
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Freightliner Develops Advanced Hybrid RV Chassis
So you've always dreamed of owning an RV but just couldn't imagine paying for all that fuel used on a family outing.  Well you may be in luck as Freightliner is now offering a motor home chassis to solve the problem.

The new chassis is called the ecoFred motorhome chassis.  Freightliner is the first to develop a chassis of this type for the RV market.  The powertrain consists of a 6.7 liter Cummins diesel engine (typical in this class of chassis) paired with an Eaton automated manual transmission, also typical.  Here's where the change comes in.  This new powertrain utilizes a combo motor-generator sandwiched between the trans and the engine.  The motor-generator provides electric drive capabilities, captures energy from regenerative braking, and always the use of an auto shut off feature.
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Winnebago says worst may be over, shares rise
Winnebago, which has slashed half its workforce over the past few years as it grappled with the worst downturn in the RV industry's history, said it was hiring workers back, ramping up production and canceling the traditional holiday shutdown in order to keep up with rebounding demand.

"The worst may be over," it said in a statement.
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Texas Motor Speedway to add family RV campground area
Texas Motor Speedway will once again expand its fan amenities with the addition of a family RV campground area that will be in place for the 2010 race season.

Texas Motor Speedway will utilize a four-acre tract on the northeast corner of the property to carve out a 158-space camping area that will cater solely to families. The family campground area will be completely fenced in and feature reserved spaces, around-the-clock presence by the Fort Worth Police Department, 10 p.m. noise curfew and zero tolerance policy for disruptive behavior of any sort
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Bella Terra RV resort honored among top RV parks
Best Parks in America announced today that Bella Terra of Gulf Shores RV resort, located in Gulf Shores, Ala., has been designated as one of the Best Parks in America. The resort is the newest affiliate of Best Parks, a national network of highly rated, premier RV resorts and campgrounds.

Bella Terra is an exclusive Class A RV resort located on the “Emerald Coast” just minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. Situated on 40 acres, the resort opened in November, 2009. The 176 site resort offers fully deeded ownership as well as a rental resort component that allows for daily, weekly, and long term rental opportunities.
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Two RV makers rise from the ashes, but they're going their own way in forging a comeback
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Fleetwood and Monaco booths at the 47th annual National RV Trade Show was that both manufacturers even had displays. Just nine months earlier, the two companies had filed for bankruptcy and announced they were looking for buyers, but in Louisville, with booths positioned at opposite ends of the exhibition hall, they have new owners and a new inflow of capital.

Once towering giants, Fleetwood and Monaco may represent the boom, the bust and the uncertain recovery of the recreational vehicle industry.
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High school student travels across New Zealand in an RV
Wesley Chapman never lived Nov. 23, 2009, but he lived Dec. 8 twice.

Such is one of the strange things that happens to a person when he travels to the other side of the world.

Chapman, a 15-year-old sophomore at Moffat County High School, left Los Angeles the night of Nov. 22, went backward in time as he passed over Hawaii and arrived Nov. 24 in New Zealand on the far side of the International Dateline.
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RV makers going green
Innovation. Experts say it's the big key to a turnaround for the hard-hit RV industry.

This year, many of those production shifts revolve around one word — green — and they were on display last week at the annual National RV Trade Show.

It's more than just improving gas mileage. From fuel economy to fuel cells, solar panels to wind power, green technology is driving the RV industry.
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Once-thriving local RV industry all but disappeared in 2009
A year ago at this time, local RV makers sent workers home for their customary holiday furloughs. Most workers never came back. Within months, two companies, Monaco Coach Corp. and Country Coach LLC, filed for bankruptcy.

Today, Country Coach is all but dead, its bankruptcy case now in Chapter 7, meaning everything it owns will be sold to satisfy debtors. Monaco Coach, once a high-flying publicly traded company headquartered in Coburg, became a tiny division of a multinational corporation, Navistar International, after its assets were sold off in bankruptcy. A third manufacturer, Marathon Coach, remains in business, but has limped along on a curtailed production schedule, building a fraction of the high-end bus conversions that it did in previous years. Click to Read More

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Analyst Sees Revenue Growth For RV Industry
Shares of Winnebago Industries Inc. and Thor Industries Inc. rose Friday as an analyst said improving sales trends for the two recreational vehicle companies will continue through next year.

Analyst Gregory R. Badishkanian of Citi Research said in a client note that, according to discussions with industry representatives at a recent RV trade show and with dealers later, inventories are being replenished and unfilled orders should fuel growth over the next few quarters.

Although credit is still tight, he said it has "modestly eased" each month year-to-date. Click to Read More

Is RV industry headed "back from the brink?"
It's a phrase that's been repeated by local RV manufacturers and suppliers for the last few months, as sales numbers trend up. But is there proof that the RV industry is "back," or is that optimism all talk?

At the annual RV Industry Association National Trade Show, experts said the numbers do show a turnaround could be underway, driven almost exclusively by an uptick in demand.
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FCCC’s ecoFRED Motorhome Chassis Ready for Production
ecoFRED, the RV industry’s first hybrid-electric Class A motorhome chassis, is now available for order. Introduced in December 2008 by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) as a prototype, ecoFRED provides improved fuel economy while also reducing engine emissions.

Equipped with the Eaton hybrid-electric system and powered by the Cummins ISB 6.7-liter engine with up to 300 hp and an Eaton automated manual transmission, ecoFRED provides increased torque for better acceleration. Click to Read More

Fleetwood RV debutes 2010 Discovery motorhome
Fleetwood RV debuted its 2010 Discovery Class A diesel motorhome at the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s 47th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky. on December 1.

“There are a lot of exciting changes on our 2010 Discovery including the availability of a Spartan Chassis, all of which are a direct result of the feedback we have gathered from our dealers and customers,” said John Draheim, president and COO of Fleetwood RV, Inc. “Discovery is one of the most recognized brand names in the industry, so we wanted it to include features that added value as well as further elevated its reputation in the marketplace. The 2010 Discovery now includes a lot of standard features that are only available as options on competitive products.”
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Airstream Announces Expansion of Model Line-up
Airstream announced today that it is expanding its line of iconic travel trailers and touring coaches in an effort to welcome new consumers to the Airstream lifestyle.

According to Bob Wheeler, Airstream President and CEO “Our brand is synonymous with adventure. By providing products at a broader range of price points, sizes, and decors, we’re creating an opportunity for more people to answer the call of the open road.”
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Entrepreneur Who Captured America's Affection for RVs In the midst of a business downturn for recreational vehicles in 1980, Wade Thompson purchased an iconic but failing brand, Airstream, and turned it into a money maker within a year.

Mr. Thompson, who died Nov. 12 at the age of 69, went on to add a dozen RV manufacturers to the roster of Thor Industries Inc., which became the nation's biggest RV manufacturer by sales.
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Heartland RV plans hiring 400 in northern Indiana
A recreational vehicle company based in northern Indiana plans to hire more than 400 workers as it increases production.

Heartland Recreational Vehicles of Elkhart announced Tuesday it would immediately begin hiring about 200 production workers. The company said it expected 200 more jobs would be added by the end of March, bringing its work force to 1,200 employees.
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Nationwide campground and RV resort survey gives 31 'A' grades
Thirty-one campgrounds and recreational vehicle resorts have earned all-around "A" grades in the second annual consumer satisfaction survey of independent parks. But only one -- Meadowcliff RV Resort -- is in California.

Nearly 17,000 camping and RV enthusiasts participated in the online survey, which evaluated guest experiences at 1,840 independent campgrounds and RV resorts affiliated with the National Assn. of RV Parks and Campgrounds. The survey was for privately run locations only -- national and state parks were not included.
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RV industry no longer running on empty
The wheels are slowly turning again for the RV industry here, the mainstay of this region’s economy.

Sales are beginning to pick up again. RV makers are cautiously hiring back some of the workers they furloughed during the downturn. Click to Read More

RV supplier diversifies, finds success
Last year the floor at the Valley Screen Process Company was quiet. There were only a few dozen workers doing the work of 75.

The RV industry was hit hard and suppliers were stuck with months worth of excess inventory.

"We had to tell our staff that we were going to lay them off over the holidays and we really didn't know if we were going to be able to call them back," said Valley Stream CEO Karen Barnett.
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Men conquer Tuscaloosa in RV
From the West coast to the East, three mid-twenties guys have road tripped in an RV to document various college tailgates in their mission called “Tailgate the Nation.”
This weekend, they conquered Tuscaloosa.

They started Aug. 21 in Los Angeles in a 30-year-old RV purchased from Craigslist a week before they left. Ryan Schortmann, 23, and brothers Jean-Michel Werk, 25, and Stephan Werk, 22, have traveled close to 11,000 miles through 22 states and 14 college games since then. Click to Read More

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RV makers based in Elkhart County expand Western operations
eystone RV Co. is expanding its western operations but a company official maintains Elkhart County will remain the home for recreational vehicle manufacturing.

Based in Goshen, Keystone has purchased the former Fleetwood travel trailer facility in Pendleton, Ore., and will begin building units there in the spring. The property was bought out of bankruptcy and includes two large production plants on 21 acres of land.
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RV titan, co-founder of Thor Industries dies at age 69
The recreational vehicle industry is mourning the loss of one of its own.

Wade F.B. Thompson, co-founder, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thor Industries, died Thursday after a 14-year battle with five cancers. He was 69.
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RV campsites still available for 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
Only 70 of 350 beach front RV campsites are currently booked at Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks in Vancouver, British Columbia with less than 100 days to go until the 2010 Olympic games. The Vancouver Parks department needs to book about 150 sites to break even.
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America's Best RV Parks for Winter Camping
Cruising the country in an RV is like an all-access pass to all the scenic beauty and outdoor recreation you could want. Believe it or not, winter can be a prime time to explore the great outdoors, particularly in areas like Arizona, Florida, Texas, Nevada and California.

In these locales, the weather is at its best during the winter months which means it's the perfect time to go for a hike, play a round of golf or whatever else suits your fancy.

To help you navigate your roadside adventure, we've found five top RV parks across the country where there are no shortages of happy campers.
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New focus bringing RV improvements for Peugeot
Peugeot’s moves to better manage relationship with the industry’s RV experts are beginning to bear fruit, according to Bob Grant, Peugeot’s manager of whole-life costs.

Grant was appointed to what is a new role in May, admitting the process of managing relationships with the influencers that predict residual values previously “fell through the gaps between fleet and product”‘
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Repairing a Leaking Diesel Motorhome Fuel Tank
I purchased a 2008 Monaco Diplomat SE back in the spring of 2007. Since that time, the motorhome has taken us on trips to Moab, St. Anthony Sand Dunes, the Oregon Dunes, Dumont Dunes, Sand Mountain and more trips to the Imperial Sand Dunes than I can remember. Most of these trips aren’t too close to home so I have racked up a few miles on the coach.
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N. Indiana RV company bringing back 200 jobs
MIDDLEBURY, Ind. -  A recreational vehicle company says it is increasing production and has recalled or hired more than 200 workers in northern Indiana.

Middlebury-based Jayco Inc. said Wednesday the additional work follows recent higher-than-anticipated orders that have led to its highest order backlog in more than two years. Click to Read More

Camping World, Coleman team to sell large RVs
Camping World says you’ll soon be able to buy a new Coleman RV from them–maybe at a location near you. The new Coleman RVs may not be what you’d expect: Instead of pop-up trailers, come December the Coleman logo’d RVs–produced by Thor Industries–will include three different lines of full-sized rigs.
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Industry group warns off would-be FEMA surplus RV buyers
As the United States General Services Administration (GSA) continues to auction off large numbers of surplus recreational vehicles, left over from Hurricane Katrina, an industry group has posted a red-flag for RV park owners. According to a story published in the sunherald.com news website of Mississippi, the Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA) is warning RV park owners not be allured by low prices on park model trailers.
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Hobby expands motorhome range for 2010
HOBBY’S motorhome range has been expanded for 2010 with a quartet of newcomers, including a very appealing low bed version of the low-profile Hobby Van (pictured).

The new Ford-based Hobby Van Classic is available with the traditional high bed over a full garage (T500 GFSC) or in a new low bed version (T500 FSC) that feels more spacious, has a useful kitchen worktop extension and re-sites its wardrobe over the foot of the fixed bed.
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