As RV dealers continue to struggle with sales, RV manufacturers are seeing a somewhat better picture. RV wholesale shipments are a mixed bag. The number of new units heading down the road to dealers shows a slight upward trend overall, with travel trailers continuing to keep brightness in an otherwise dim picture. Motorhome shipments sputter.
RV wholesale shipments are a mixed bag
Results for the RV Industry Association’s October 2024 survey of manufacturers found that total RV shipments ended the month with 30,595 units, an increase of 7.8% compared to the 28,371 units shipped in October 2023.
“This latest shipment report shows that overall, the RV industry continues to make moderate, steady gains and we are on track to surpass last year’s shipment totals,” said RV Industry Association President and CEO Craig Kirby. “As we head into the holidays, it is encouraging to see RVing remains a popular travel option, with 21 million Americans expected to go RVing this holiday season and share the joys of time together with family and friends.”
Here are the numbers
In the RV wholesale shipments report, towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended the month up 11.8% from last October with 27,766 shipments. Motorhomes finished the month down (-20.2%) compared to the same month last year with 2,829 units. It’s a brighter picture than the report from last month, where towables were up 4.2% from last September. And in a “win some, lose some” comparison, motorhomes did a lot better—down only 20% this month, but sinking badly last month, where they were down some 30%.
To date, RVs are up 7.7% compared to the same period last year, with 287,007 units shipped through October.
Park Model RVs finished October down (-19.7%) compared to the same month last year, with 346 wholesale shipments.
For earlier RV wholesale shipment reports, click here.
##RVT1185b
Stop making “crap” motorized units and people will buy them My 2006 DP just keeps rolling along because they gave a dam back then and I have given a dam to do the necessary upkeep.
Agreed!
We have a 2013 that has everything we ever want. DW and I have looked at newer 2018/19 and even new 2024/25 (skip Covid years), but prices are insane. I can keep the price difference invested and easily pay for all my maintenance needs from the income and still keep the principal instead of watching it vanish in depreciation! Plus, the newer ones are jammed with technology the average DIYer can’t fix or even diagnose without specialized equipment & knowledge, so we’d be paying $180/hr for services plus inflated parts markup. Then add the more costly insurance onto that! The “business case” just doesn’t compute!
I have a 2003 BT Cruiser, 21 feet, no slides, bought used 5 years ago with 50k miles for $15k. It now has 89k miles and is still running great. I’ve replaced the refrigerator and AC unit. Nothing else except tires and brakes. We love it and will continue to take long trips in it. Built like a tank.
Thank you, Russ and Tina, for keeping us informed. Happy new year and safe travels!