RV Sales Bode Well for Economic Recovery

The RV industry, long considered a bellwether of economic trends, is seeing robust sales
gains despite the nation being slow to pull out of recession. RV Business magazine reports
that shipments of RVs are expected to increase by 5 percent over 2002 levels. This is on
top of travel trailer and fifth-wheel trailer sales in 2002 being the highest they’ve been
since the 1970s. Motorhome sales numbers for the first 11 months of 2002 were up more than
12 percent over 2001. According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA),
factory-to-dealer shipments of RVs are expected to reach a 25-year high in 2003. The future
looks favorable as well. RVIA points out that a 2001 University of Michigan study found
that among all U.S. households, one in six intend to purchase an RV in the future.
Demographic trends also favor substantial RV-market growth. As baby boomers enter their
prime RV-buying years over the next decade, the number of RV-owning households is projected
to rise to nearly 8 million in 2010 — a gain of 15 percent, outpacing overall U.S.
household growth of 10 percent, according to RVIA.