Blue Bird Hosts 14th Annual “Rally In The Valley”
Blue Bird Wanderlodge, C4, welcomed 1,200 participants to the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, October 28 through 31, 2001, for the company’s 14th annual “Rally In The Valley.” More than 450 motorhomes attended the four-day event, which included seminars, entertainment, vendor displays, driver training, and tours of the Wanderlodge motorhome manufacturing facility.
The company also used the rally as an opportunity to introduce plans for its newest coach, the Blue Bird Wanderlodge M380. According to company literature, this 38-foot motorhome will feature a totally different design — chassis, body, interior furnishings, and components — than current Wanderlodge models. The M380 will be powered by a Cummins ISM 400-horsepower diesel engine. Production of this new model is scheduled to begin this spring.
Survey Indicates RV Travel Expected To Increase
A survey commissioned by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) indicated that owners of recreation vehicles planned to hit the road in force this past fall and winter despite the United States’ uncertain travel climate and economy.
According to the RVIA’s Campfire Canvass, a biannual survey of RV owners, conducted during October 2001 by Robert Hitlin Research Associates, 93 percent of RV owners expected to travel more than or the same amount this fall and winter as they did a year ago.
Ninety-one percent said they believed recent events would not affect their travel plans. A large majority cited the freedom, flexibility, and convenience that RVs offer. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents said RV travel advantages are more important now than ever. Among the top reasons to travel by RV during these uncertain times, as cited by RV owners:
- 71 percent feel it’s an escape from the pressures and stress of daily life.
- 79 percent of respondents who will be accompanied by children or grandchildren believe RV travel strengthens family bonds.
- 66 percent of respondents traveling with children or grandchildren agree owning an RV saves money on trips.
Joining RV owners on the road this fall and winter are a growing number of RV renters. According to Cruise America Inc. of Mesa, Arizona, the nation’s largest RV rental company, domestic leisure rentals were up 20 percent during the fall. El Monte RV, based in Santa Fe Springs, California, and the second largest RV rental company in the United States, reported a 30 percent increase.
RVIA is the national organization representing nearly 500 manufacturers and component suppliers that produce approximately 98 percent of all RVs made in the United States.
Liberty Coach Opens Florida Sales And Service Center
Liberty Coach, C733, a luxury coach conversion company based in North Chicago, Illinois, recently opened Liberty Coach of Florida, a new coach sales and service facility on Florida’s east coast. It is located approximately 45 miles north of Palm Beach in Stuart.
The facility has been designated an official Prevost Authorized Service Center that will service all makes of Prevost coaches. The building features a 16,000-square-foot showroom, six service bays, and 11 sites with electric hookups.