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SHIPMENTS
June 1996
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association reports that wholesale shipment totals of all RVs were at 41,400 units in June, up 3% from this same month last year. Year-to-date totals in 1996 continue to chase last year's results, as through June shipments of 252,000 units were just 0.7% behind this same period one year ago.
Seasonally adjusted, shipments in June were at an annual rate of just over 463,000 units, down 4.7% from last month but continue on a pace that should outperform last year. Year-to-date shipments of most products are near totals for the same period last year led by an 8.7% increase in type A motorhomes and an equally impressive 6.2% increase in fifth-wheel travel trailers.
The Index of Consumer Sentiment bounced back up to 92.4 in the June survey of consumers, as conducted by the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center. The index has remained in a narrow but favorable range for the past 30 months.
"Apprehensions about unemployment, rising interest rates, as well as the recent surge in fuel prices have all caused only temporary losses in the Index," reported Dr. Richard Curtin, director of the survey. "Long term expansions, like the one we now enjoy, rarely rely on an ever rising level of optimism but rather on an underlying consumer resiliency to withstand occasional setbacks."
Towable RVs
Deliveries to retailers of all towable RVs were 15,500 units in June, off 2.5% from this same month one year ago and year-to-date totals of 105,700 units are off just 2.3% from this same period last year.
Conventional and fifth-wheel travel trailers continue to perform well and combine to represent more than 63% of all towables. Shipments this year have been particularly strong for larger trailers and growth in slideout units continues.
Folding camping trailers have fallen off last year's pace of late, slipping 7.4% behind the total for this first half of 1995. Shipments of 1,000 truck campers this month were far behind June of last year but year-to-date totals are just 6.1% behind this period one year ago.
Motorhomes
Recent successes in type A motorhome sales have helped to pull all motorhome deliveries to improved totals. Shipments for all motorhomes were measured at 4,500 units in June, up 4.7% from this same month, one year ago. Year-to-date totals of 29, 500 units are 3.9% ahead of the first half of 1995 and by year end could easily challenge the 58, 100 motorhomes reported for all of 1994.
Clearly the leader this year has been type A motorhomes, and like travel trailers, it's been the larger units which have done best. Diesel products now represent about 10% of all type A motorhomes with slideouts mostly in gasoline units.
Conversion Vehicles
Conversion vehicle deliveries increased 8.6% from last month to 21,400 units in the June survey, making them 7% ahead of this same month last year. Vans were again the leader in numbers of conversions with 14,500 units in June, up 7.4% over this same month last year while sport utility vehicles more than doubled production compared to this same month one year ago.
Source: RVIA
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