RVBusiness, November/December 2019

is where its at Small has just taken over for us not only with the Sol but among our other manufacturers Its really booming also with our toy haulers Growth of Class B B and C Coaches Although bigger motorhomes obviously remain an industry staple a consistent downsizing trend was also evident among the motorized displays at Hershey judging by the number of smaller Class B B Plus and C body coaches on customized Ford Transit RAM ProMaster and Mercedes Benz Sprinter based vans and cutaway chassis throughout the show Nowhere was that more evident than at Winnebago Industries Inc s large B van display where the U S Class B sales leader showed an array of 2020 models including its Travato Revel Era Solis and Boldt models retailing from 80000 up to 200000 Its the biggest display weve ever had at Hershey or probably at any show said Russ Garfin director of product management for Winnebagos Class B and Sprinter Class Cs whose new Boldt is one of a wave of new Class Bs on the all new 2019 Sprinter since its delayed release Those delays resulted from supplychain issues that emerged as Mercedes worked to convert its Charleston S C plant from a facility in which Germanmade Sprinter vans were assembled for the U S market to one in which the entire assembly process now takes place inhouse according to Leigh Puckett a key account manager for Mercedes Benz USA Mercedes has now released an upgraded Sprinter that judging from the OEM exhibits at Hershey is gaining rapid acceptance among a host of manufacturers like Winnebago Thor Motor Coach Leisure Travel Vans Triple E and REV Recreation Group to the extent that theres a waiting list for deliveries Its an absolute upgrade in every way said Puckett Everything from the B pillar forward has been changed essentially and upgraded But the only thing we changed on the powertrain was the transmission So its still a three liter six cylinder turbodiesel but weve gone from a five speed to a seven speed adding two gears As for the interior were essentially mimicking our passenger car colleagues noted Puckett Now all of the driver assistance safety features are available within the Sprinter We have a couple of different options in terms of trim but for the RV industry youre going to get a 1025 inch touchscreen interface built in satellite radio and MBUX the Mercedes Benz User Experience that allows you to issue voice commands to set interior temperatures or turn on the drivers seat heater Ford Motor Co also plans on benefitting from the growing U S popularity of 38 RVBusiness N O V E M B E R D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 smaller European size motorhomes Fords Transit is growing in this space and were pretty excited about it said Joe King specialty vehicles account manager for the Dearborn Mich OEM who added the Transit priced between the Sprinter and the RAM ProMaster is prized for its affordability and service support We have 3300 Ford stores all across the United States that can work on these so you dont have to find a specific RV service location for it said King Another factor is cost of ownership The Transit comes with a gas engine option and also a diesel so its up to the customer as to what they want But yeah all the parts are available right from your local Ford stores King also noted that the Transit got a better start in the cutaway business than it did in the conventional Class B sector but hes seeing that change New for Transit for the 20 model year is the all wheel drive model with swivel seats and were going to have a power sliding door option as well as all the driver assist technology in the cab said King standing in the Pleasure Way Industries Ltd display where the Canadian firm debuted two new Transit based Ontour B van models So it will be a lot easier to drive not that its difficult now But its going to be a great vehicle Weve been listening to what customers want and were bringing it to market RVB Winnebago had its largest display of B vans ever said Russ Garfin director of product management Leigh Puckett of Mercedes Benz USA said the Sprinter chassis has been greatly improved for the new model year Russ Garfin Among other Class B coaches on display were the new Transit based Beyond from Coachmen Industries left and the Platinum from Coach House a Florida based builder