The August numbers for RV shipments are in; and the surge continues in RV manufacturing. Fueled by more new folks entering the RV lifestyle, employees working remotely, and the safety of camping appealing to the masses.
The RV industry is now only down 4.8 % over 2019 for all “towable RV’s” and down 7.1% for all RV shipments which include all classes of Motorhomes.
My guess, with four months remaining, is that the RV industry will meet or exceed 2019’s numbers. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers for August.
August’s Travel Trailer shipments (the most popular RV of choice) were up 22.5% over August 2019 numbers. August of 2019 = 22634 vs. 27730 for August of 2020. That is a huge increase.
August’s Fifth Wheel shipments were up 16.1% over August of 2019. 2019 = 5984 vs 6946 for August of 2020.
Folding Campers shipments were up 28.1% over August of 2019. August 2019 shipments were 449 compared to 575 for August of 2020.
Interestingly there was a dip in Truck Camper Shipments, down 18.6% over August of 2019. However keep in mind this is the smallest RV category. August 2019 shipments were 381 compared to 310 for August of 2020.
So what do the numbers tell us? People are still buying RVs and from the looks of the RV sales lots near us, there is still a shortage. As a matter of fact the RVIA predicts that by the end of the year not only will they have made up for the two month COVID shutdown but they will beat 2019s numbers by 4.5%.
They predict that 2020 will be the fourth best year on record for shipments. In addition they predict 2021 will be up 19.5% over 2020. If true those numbers would best 2017’s record year.
Of course that kind of a boom could also bring back the same quality issues that were apparent in 2017. So, it might be great for the RV industry but not necessarily great for the consumer.
So the surge continues…even into next year from the looks of it. To see the August numbers from the RVIA visit this link: https://www.rvia.org/news-insights/2020-august-rv-shipments-increase-173-over-2019
Until next time, stay safe and happy camping!
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