Ask Dave: Why are 2026 model year RVs available already?

Dear Dave, 
I see several companies advertising 2026 model year RVs. How can that be when we still have three months left in 2024? —Several RVtravel.com readers and RV dealers

Dear readers,
This has been a question asked for many years since RV manufacturers began rolling out model year rigs more than a year before the actual year starts. For years, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) held model year introduction shows in the fall prior to the calendar year, similar to the automobile industry’s model year change.

The California RVIA show was held the second week of October in Los Angeles at the Dodger Stadium parking lot. The 10-day show started with three days of dealer-only displays, and RV manufacturers brought out the new model years. Then the local dealers came in and there was a seven-day retail show kicking off the new year.

In December, the RVIA held the annual “Louisville Show” that was designed as a five-day wholesale-only show for the East Coast dealers. RV manufacturers brought out the new models as well as vendors displaying everything from Awnings to Zebra-patterned rugs. (A-Z, get it?)

My first “Dodger Show” was 1988, when I was working in the Marketing Department at Winnebago Industries and we debuted all of the new 1989 Chieftain and Sunflyer models. The show eventually outgrew Dodger Stadium and moved to the California Fairgrounds in Pomona. It was a 10-day retail-only show, as everyone went to Louisville for the new product reveal.

The Louisville Show

Louisville was quite the party, with RV manufacturers “sneaking” in secret products in the middle of the night and covering them with tarps and protected by security guards. It featured appearances by celebrities such as Rusty Wallace and Richard Petty, Branscombe Richmond, from the TV series “Renegade,” among other television series and movies. He used a Winnebago Elandan on the series with Lorenzo Lamas, and introduced the new Winnebago Brave. And one year I brought Ozzie Smith (baseball) to the party!

I don’t remember when it started or who did it first, but someone introduced a next-year model in February. That started the discussion regarding RVIA regulating model year introduction. I do remember Fleetwood introducing the Discovery diesel pusher at the Tampa RV SuperShow in the Lazydays RV display somewhere around 1994—that was in February. It was funny, as the unit came in during set up with Bounder decals that had to be changed. In reality, it was a Bounder with the door moved forward and the diesel engine in the back!

Dealers did not like the fact that a new model year was out 10 months early, as it made current inventory already a year old. Who wants to buy an RV that depreciates a full year before it even goes off the lot?

New models introduced throughout the year

For years, it just continued to get worse as RV manufacturers would introduce new model year product at random times of the year. And we all know that most RV manufacturers do not care to be regulated… or even play fair.

According to a recent post on RVtravel.com, RVIA initially adopted a Voluntary Model Year Introduction Recommended Best Practice of July 1 – August 31 in 2020. This was recently changed to June 1 – June 30.

Most automobile manufacturers introduce the next model year in the fall. The challenge with the RV industry is the chassis in the motorhome market doesn’t change model years until the fall or even later. It is not uncommon to have a motorhome that has a different model year chassis, and now it could be almost three years different. Fortunately, the chassis warranty does not go into effect until the unit is sold, but it does make it difficult for part suppliers and other original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to keep current.

Who is jumping the gun for 2026

On September 23, 2024, Newmar announced the introduction of the 2026 Grand Star diesel pusher. With the upcoming Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa the second week of January, you know there will be more.

National Indoor RV Center is advertising the Music City RV Expo May 31 – June 3 will feature the first opportunity to see 2026 model year RVs from 12 different manufacturers. So much for the voluntary June 1 recommendation.

So it just goes to show, the RV industry is not interested in being regulated or told what to do. That is evident in the RVIA board “recommending” a “volunteer” model year introduction.

I am headed to Myrtle Beach this weekend to conduct seminars for RV SuperShows. It will be interesting to see if any manufacturers sneak an “All New 2026” into the mix!

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Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

Read more from Dave here. 

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