Shipments of recreational vehicles dropped 17.8 percent in 2022 over the year before according to results from the RV Industry Association’s December 2022 survey of manufacturers. Total shipments for 2022 ended with 493,268 shipments, down from an all-time record of 600,240 in 2021.
“As expected, we saw shipment numbers normalize off of those record highs in the second half of the year as the industry returned to production numbers seen pre-COVID,” said RV Industry Association President & CEO Craig Kirby.
Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended 2022 down (-20.1%) against 2021 with 434,858 wholesale shipments. Motorhomes finished the year up 3.9% compared to 2021 with 58,410 units.
“Our industry builds a product that allows people to prioritize not only spending time with family and friends but also experiencing the many physical and mental health benefits of being in the great outdoors. With so many younger and more diverse buyers flocking to RV travel in the past few years, the long-term future of the RV industry remains bright,” continued Kirby.
##RVT1089b
Just great, I will see more Motorhomes traveling at high speeds in my rear view mirror. More campgrounds altered so these monster motorhomes can park there. Less spaces for the rest of us. More interesting video’s of the low clearance trestle.
Donald, did you look at the numbers? Conventional class A’s were down slightly YOY as were class C. The surge in motorized was driven by class Bs…up over 23% and the sole driver of motorized being up in total.
Clearly the market went “small.” Pickup campers up and tent campers were down only slightly compared to TT and 5ver sales losses. Class Bs, even at astronomical prices that border on insane, way up.
This drop-off in RV purchases was another easily predicted outcome made during the 2020 spike in sales caused by COVID boredom. Soon to follow will be the flood of “lightly used” RVs offered for sale in used RV lots across the country. Pity the people who will still be saddled with loan payments for decades even after they sell…
Not surprised of the results. We have a Class B. Great on gas, fits easily in even the smallest camping spaces, serves as the family second vehicle, able to park it at home even under HOA restrictions. We have ‘camped’ from one night to three months across the U.S. and Canada since 2004!