There Goes the Neighborhood!

[Greynomad]

Avida Enters the Caravan Market

No doubt many of you have received this e-news release from Winnebago/Avida.

With the ratio of caravans to motorhomes variously quoted as 20:1 to 50:1 (depending on the sales team quoting ) it seems to me that Avida is desperate for a slice of the action.

Will they continue to devote as much of their production and support time to motorhomes as previously?

I know ; they used to devote 100%, but now can't possibly do that.

What I mean is, will their staff be as responsive to motorhomers' queries & problems? Or will their plunge into this new (for Avida) market leave us dangling while they establish their new brand of caravan in a market already crowded with large & small manufacturers?

[BruceS]

Hi Ray, I think they'll stick to MH's myself.
Yes the majority of van makers are slamming as much into their vans as they can to compete with MH's but as a lot are finding out ........ the weight factor is a problem for them.
There will always be a market for the top of the range MH's in my opinion.
Jayco are going the other way........... trying to gain a bigger MH slice.
Did you get any POI's into that new GPS?
Where are you now? Theodore?

[Dot]

Go on Ray tell em Your topic is correct

[Greynomad]

Slight change of plans:
We're heading home to put our house on the market. Found one on the Murray we liked, and our (conditional) offer has been accepted.
Waiting for the paperwork to catch up with us now.
We're in Koondrook for a day or two. Lots of fine Redgum furniture studios here. Seventh Heaven for a woodturner!
Then Mildura; Hopetoun (Lake Lascelles free camp); friends in Warracknabeal; then home.
Gotta give the house-sitting lads time to pack their stuff & clean up...
(One lives across the road, so Mum will be supervising the clean-up! She actually misses him... first time living 'away' from home! He's 23!! We've known him since he was 3yo.)

Now back to the OP:
I reckon Avida will pull all stops to gain recognition of the brand in the caravan market.
They will ride the coattails of the Winnebago name for all its worth, now that an Oz judge says it's OK.
However, that probably means motorhome problems will be shifted to the back burner.
"No time. No staff to attend to that. The caravan market calls..."
The WRVC will struggle to be heard. Wait & see...

[Dot]

Good onyu Ray & Joy well done There was a new Avida MH on that Frankie Holden travel show today but I didn't take much notice of what they were saying.

[Greynomad]

Dottie,
I just noticed that you have more than 10 TIMES the number of posts I have registered.
And Joy says I spend too much time on the forum.
Do you have G make the meals, as well as fit out the m/h?

[T1 Terry]

I think Avida will struggle in the caravan game, Fleetwood in WA just announced a 77% drop in profits and they have been in the game for some time. There is an up start carvan company going to the wall at least every mth, he may have had $$ behind him but all the court cases must have drained a lot of them away, how long can you keep a loss company running without damaging the whole business? I guess they are about to find out.

[generdawg]

Am I wrong about a middle east oil scare in the 80's that drove bowser pump prices sky high and sent every boy and his dog with a recreation vehicle to the classifieds "For Sale" section along with a slew of V8 powered vehicles, which resulted in the evolution of the V6 and massive popularity of 4 cyclinder economy?

Our Ozzie ikon DS (formerly of DSE) had a show on recently entitled "Ten Bucks a Litre". Another scare could see more than just startup companies retrenching staff with a reference on their CV's for "RV Fitter" being equated to "Horse Carriage & and Buggy Whip Fitter".

dawg (watching "The Sands of Time", aka "Daz of Our Lives" )

[Dot]

Dottie,
I just noticed that you have more than 10 TIMES the number of posts I have registered.
And Joy says I spend too much time on the forum.
Do you have G make the meals, as well as fit out the m/h?

1/ I am female & I am expected to yap and talk crap more than a mere male
2/ Yes and yes
Careful Ray else you might be invited to join the Tiger fan club of me JOKE

[T1 Terry]

Am I wrong about a middle east oil scare in the 80's that drove bowser pump prices sky high and sent every boy and his dog with a recreation vehicle to the classifieds "For Sale" section along with a slew of V8 powered vehicles, which resulted in the evolution of the V6 and massive popularity of 4 cyclinder economy?

Our Ozzie ikon DS (formerly of DSE) had a show on recently entitled "Ten Bucks a Litre". Another scare could see more than just startup companies retrenching staff with a reference on their CV's for "RV Fitter" being equated to "Horse Carriage & and Buggy Whip Fitter".

dawg (watching "The Sands of Time", aka "Daz of Our Lives" )

I think the all electric EVRV is only just around the corner, not sure about an EV tug to tow a caravan though. The main aim then will be on lightweight construction and max solar coverage, a 3 day stop over at a free camp to solar recharge the battery pack while out on the electric scooter to check out the sights? Sounds a bit far fetched, it was last yr that the first around the world navigation was completed by a solar powered 95 tonne cruising boat, no fuel powered back up at all.
RV parks with a dump point, water and a 3 phase powerpoint maybe?