Thor to launch new Class B motorhome line

With the recent purchase of Europe’s Erwin Hymer Group, US-based Thor Industries has become the largest RV manufacturer in the world, with dozens of brands and billions in assets. CEO Bob Martin is an avid RVer himself, now owning his sixth RV. We got a chance to sit him down for a one-on-one interview at the recent RVX industry show in Salt Lake City and talked about Thor’s vision for the RV future, which Martin says will be dominated by Class B and smaller RVs. We asked him to talk about rumors that Thor may still eventually buy Roadtrek Motorhomes, and while he conceded the brand had lots of value, he was careful not to imply anything. But he did note that Thor plans to soon introduce an entire new line of Class B motorhomes. The photo above is of a Thor concept Class B shown at the RVX show called the Sequence. Listen up for Bob Martin from Thor industries in our interview of the week, coming up shortly. But also this week, lots of RV news,your questions about the RV lifestyle, an off the beaten path report and much more. Show Notes for Episode #235 March 27, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Our mobile podcast studio in the front lounge area of our new Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX We update our travels to date, including our recent stay in New Orleans. We’re still getting used to our new 2019 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX, which we purchased last week.  We're excited about a fun video we will be releasing this Thursday. It's all about Harvest Hosts, and how we used this awesome service to find three phenomenal spots to overnight on our recent trip west. Make sure you subscribe to the RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube and check out the video, which should post about noon Thursday. We'll have a special coupon code that will save you 15% of the cost of a Harvest Hosts membership, which lets you stay overnight for free at over 700 awesome attractions, farms, wineries, and orchards all across North America. Use the code RVLS at checkout on the Harvest Hosts website to save!  We invite listener calls on our special Podcast Voicemail at 586-372-6990. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK  Jennifer Record floods leave Nebraska officials closing many parks, campgrounds, as damage is accessed  Extreme flooding in the Midwest has been in the news this past week as homes, farms and large areas of many communities are underwater after melting snow and record rains fell on frozen land, particularly in Nebraska. Among the damage are state campgrounds, with many state parks closed until further notice as Nebraska officials evaluate damage. seek help. MIKE The sale of Erwin Hymer Group could be completed next month  An Ontario newspaper is reporting the Erwin Hymer Group North America, the makers of Roadtrek, could have a new owner as soon as next month. The company went bankrupt earlier this year, closing the doors and laying off 850 employees, after financial irregularities were discovered. Some $273 million is owed to more than 900 creditors. JENNIFER Grizzly bears are starting to wake so be prepared when traveling outdoors  Grizzly bears are starting to wake out west from their winter hibernation and officials are urging outdoor enthusiasts to travel in groups, be alert and bring bear spray. For tips on bear spray safety from an expert we interviewed a while back, click here. MIKE Five state parks one newspaper says are among the most stunning in the U.S.  Earlier this month we visited a breathtakingly beautiful state park in Utah that many consider one of the best in the U.S. (see story here). So it was with interest that I saw this article in the Chicago Tribune last week, that highlighted five other state parks in five different states all breathtakingly beautiful. More wolves headed for Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park At least four wolves captured on a seculuded Canadian island in Lake Superior were headed to Isle Royale National Park in Michugan.The four were caught Friday, where they were thought to face starvation as their main prey, caribou, no longer existed there.  This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping  LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK We got a great question from Dan, who drives a 20 foot long Class B. He’d love having the extra room in a B-Plus van but has serious concerns about navigating narrow streets, finding parking spots or even stopping at fast food restaurants. We do our best to answer based in our experience over the past couple of months driving B+ vans. RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK Here’s our interview with Bob Martin, the CEO of Thor Industries, which is now the largest RV manufacturer in the world. Mike Wendland:           Bob Martin, Thor Industries, thanks for making some time. First question though, how does it feel to be the CEO of the world's largest RV manufacturer? Bob Martin:                  I try not to think about it. It is a very large company. For me, it's a big challenge. We have a lot of companies that have some great brands, great managers. Really, the way that we run the company is very decentralized. Even though we're the largest in the world now, there's still less than 60 people at our corporate office, out of 20 thousand, so we're highly decentralized. Really, we let our companies, with their management team, run their brand and their companies, so behind us, we have Airstream, one of the strongest brands in the industry, and they just have a phenomenal team, that I get updates, I know what they're doing, but for product and dealer relationship, they do everything that they need to do. For us, it's been fun. It's a challenge. It's a different thing for me every day, but I enjoy it because I love the industry. Mike Wendland:           Well, you guys are working so actively, now, for the future. Tell us a little bit about the initiatives that you have started, and where that will be in the RV industry over the next couple of years. Bob Martin:                  For us, I mean, even at this show, we rebranded Thor Industries, so Thor Industries has a new website, a new logo, a new tagline, and it's really to reach out to a very much more diverse demographic. Our industry is really targeted on the baby boomers for many years, and now we have Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials starting to come in, and they communicate in a different way, and a lot of it's social media. Here, at the show, you've seen us really increase our exposure in a lot of interviews and a lot of Instagram posts, things that we've never done in the past, but that's the future, and I think, for us to reach those new buyers, we're trying everything that we can, just to expose people to the RV industry and the lifestyle. Mike Wendland:           Now, the designs that they have for RVs, the new ones, the young demographic that seems to be buying, the designs that they're asking for, how is that changing the way all RVs are going to be over the next few years? Bob Martin:                  It seems a lot of them are looking at ... They're smaller, not quite utilitarian. Some are, but they still want their technology. People still want Wifi. They wanna be able to get their emails, so we're looking at that in all products, connected vehicles. Behind us, we've got Airstream. They won the award for the connected vehicle. It's just making camping easier for people that don't know what it is. You take down those barriers, and that's how you attract more people to the industry. Mike Wendland:           Now, it looks like a new Class B, out there, in your display.[inaudible 00:02:59] Mike Snell, who is doing some work with that. Tell us about that. That's- Bob Martin:                  Well, that's a product that we've had in design for quite some time. For us, Airstream was our only entrant into the B van segment. Mike Wendland:           With the Interstate and the Atlas? Bob Martin:                  With the Interstate and the Atlas, but Thor Motor Coach wanted to get into the B van business, so we started, many months ago, designing their new product, and this is the prototype. We brought it here to get feedback. Dealers have been happy. It's obviously a growing part of the segment. For us, we had great response, and when it goes into production, all that, we'll figure out over the next couple months here, but hopefully, by this fall, at open house, we'll have a nice lineup of B vans through Thor Motor Coach. Mike Wendland:           The brand names that they're going to be sold under, have you figured that out yet? Bob Martin:                  They've got a brand name on here, but they're not even saying that that's definitely what it is. At Thor, we have a book of names that we can use, throughout the years. Mike Wendland:           Come on, a book of names? Bob Martin:                  Well, we have names that ... We trademark names when we come up with them, and it's valuable, because there are names that come and go, and as the companies have come and gone throughout the years, we've been able to get some of their names. Under ThorTech, we have quite a few brand names that people can look at, or many times, they find a new one, they- Mike Wendland:           Let's call it this. Bob Martin:                  Yeah, and then it resonates, but then we trademark it, and so, with that, it has a name on it today, but right now it's the Thor B. We'll see what it is in the future. Mike Wendland:           Tell us the future of the Hymer brand, now that you own that brand, and Hymer vans. The Loft was doing quite well, and a lot of buzz about that. Bob Martin:                  Yeah, I mean, for us, Hymer, the purchase was Europe. There was Hymer North America. That was carved out of the deal at the very end, so our focus has been Europe. I was just there last week, and their variety of B vans are incredible,