New RV Shipments

These are the Latest Figures Available

January 1997

The Recreation Vehicle In-dustry Association reports that recreation vehicle deliveries to retailers totaled 35,000 units in January, up 11.1% from last month but off 4.9% from this same month last year. Seasonally adjusted, shipments in January were about even with last month at just over 4,500 units annualized.

The Index of Consumer Sentiment climbed to 97.4 in the January survey, according to the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center. The small increase in the reading sustains consumer confidence at its highest level since the beginning of the current expansion, which dates back to 1990.

"There is little surprise that consumer confidence would remain at such high levels given the low inflation and low unemployment climate we've enjoyed recently," reported Dr. Richard Curtin, director of the survey. "The ëMisery Index' (the sum of inflation plus unemployment) in the final quarter last year was at its lowest level in more than twenty years."

Retail sales activity now includes five separate vehicle types. Travel Trailers, fifth wheel trailers and type A motorhomes were all above the "100" line in January, meaning they were higher this month than for the same month, one year ago.

Towable RVs
Deliveries to retailers of all towable RVs were 15,600 units in January, up 27.9% over last month and up 5.4% from this same month, one year ago.

Fifth-wheel travel trailers shot up 16.7% over January last year with larger slide outs at slightly lower prices dominating shipments. Conventional travel trailers also did well, stepping up 7.1% from January one year ago to just under 6,000 units. Here, slide outs accounted for roughly one in three trailers.

Both folding camping trailers and truck campers were about even with last year's opening month, off about a hundred units each.

Motorhomes
Shipments of all motorhomes declined 8.5% from December's strong year-ending total. The 4,300 units were, however, even with the January total last year.

Conventional type A motorhomes held even in January at 2,900 units, the best month since last October. Gasoline engine units with slideouts represented nearly one third of all type A motorhomes in January, up from about one in five for all of last year.

Type B (van campers) increased to 400 units while type C (mini motorhomes) dropped to 1,000 units.

Conversion Vehicles

Deliveries to retailers of all conversion vehicles slumped again this month to 15,100 units, up 3.4% over December's total; but down 14.7% compared to this same month last year. Van conversions continued to slide, dropping for the third consecutive month to 8,300 units in January. Pickup truck and sport-utility conversions also finished lower in January of 1997 on volumes lower than for vans.

Source: RVIA