German RV Trade Show Draws 107,000
In 2019, a record-setting 268,000 people attended Caravan Salon Dusseldorf, which has been marketed as the world’s largest trade fair for RVs. For the 59th event this year, held from September 5 to 12, 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, attendance came to 107,000.
Still, organizers called the show a success. Attendees wore face masks and waited at a distance before inspecting vehicles.
The 60th Caravan Salon Dusseldorf is scheduled for August 27 to September 5, 2021. For information, visit www.caravan-salon.com.
A Pedal-Powered RV For One
Teens and adults enjoy having their own space, says Scottie Shultz, BikeStream RV creator.
It’s called the BikeStream RV. Scottie Shultz, an Elkhart, Indiana, resident, built it to be towed behind a bicycle to places where a car or a regular RV can’t go. According to a report in the South Bend Tribune, one adult can sleep in it, sit up and read by its onboard light, and wash hands in its dry sink from a jug of water. Goods can be stored in small compartments. Small, screened windows and vents allow air to circulate. Foil insulation lines the inside walls. It also has a skylight. The BikeStream RV weighs 70 pounds and can carry 120 pounds of gear when being towed.
As of late September 2020, Mr. Shultz had made 10 BikeStream RVs and sold four. The price is $2,395. A sleeping mat, propane stove, cooking and dining ware, cooler, solar water heater, and two rain covers/outdoor tables are included.
“We’ve picked up our second dealer and are currently in negotiations for our third dealer to carry the complete BikeStream RV line,” he said. “On the rental side, BikeStream Adventures finished 2020 strong, and we’re now accepting reservations for our 2021 season.”
For more information, email Mr. Shultz at bikestreamrv@gmail.com.
RV Shipments Likely To Surge Through 2021
RV shipments are expected to surpass 400,000 wholesale units by the end of 2020 and exceed 500,000 units in 2021, according to the Fall 2020 RV RoadSigns report prepared by ITR Economics for the RV Industry Association (RVIA).
RV shipments are expected to surpass 400,000 wholesale units by the end of 2020 and exceed 500,000 units in 2021.
The projection sees total 2020 shipments to dealers ranging between 414,200 and 434,500 units, with the most likely year-end total being 424,400 units. That would represent a 4.5 percent gain over the 406,070 units shipped in 2019, overcoming a nearly two-month RV industry shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial estimates for 2021 have a range of 494,400 to 519,900 units, with a most likely outcome of 507,200 units, a 19.5 percent increase over 2020.
The 507,200 units projected for 2021 would represent the best annual total on record for the RV industry, eclipsing the 504,600 units shipped in 2017. The projected 424,400 units in 2020 would be the fourth best annual total.
Towable RV shipments are anticipated to reach 383,900 units in 2020 and 452,500 units in 2021. Motorhome shipments are projected to finish at 40,500 units in 2020 and 54,700 units in 2021.
ITR Economics also reports that its system of leading economic indicators is rising, creating positive conditions for RV shipments to approach record levels. Supply chain issues and labor tightness are short-term uncertainties that could limit the gains in shipments.
Wayne Davis Retires From Regency RV
Wayne Davis retired June 1, 2020, as owner and CEO of Fort Worth, Texas-based Regency RV. Don Emahiser, a longtime industry veteran and an associate of Mr. Davis, purchased the majority of the company and is Regency’s new president and CEO, according to RVBusiness.
Mr. Davis became general manager of Regency Conversions in 1995. He purchased the company in 2005 and sold it in 2007. In 2010 he purchased Tuscany Conversions and reacquired Regency. In 2015, he began manufacturing custom motorhomes on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. Mr. Davis also is known for his Wayne Davis Collection of classic cars and memorabilia.
Regency RV will continue to be produced in Fort Worth, Mr. Emahiser said.
Professor Uses RV For “Edu-Gating” Students
With the fall 2020 semester off to an unusual start because of COVID-19, a Bowling Green State University professor found an alternative to regular office hours: She invited students to meet with her outside her motorhome.
Bowling Green State University professor Angela Falter Thomas goes the extra mile for her students — literally. To enhance distance learning, she meets with them on campus outside her RV.
“My husband coined the term ‘edu-gating’ as a spinoff on tailgating, thinking this would be a nice way to have academic discourse with the students,” Angela Falter Thomas, a professor in BGSU’s College of Education & Human Development, told WTOL-TV in Toledo, Ohio. On Fridays, the professor and her husband travel in their new RV from their home in Tiffin, Ohio, to the campus in Bowling Green, Ohio. They set up the RV in a campus parking lot.
“While technology is fantastic and I’ve been able to do some very interesting things through remote teaching with the students online, some of my students just need that face-to-face personal touch,” the professor said.
Not only do the office hours help students with their academics, but it’s a way for the professor to check on her students’ mental health during the pandemic. Seeing her students in person helps bring some normalcy back to their lives, Dr. Thomas noted.