Park model RV shipments were off to a sluggish start for the first two months of 2016, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) monthly shipment report for February.
After starting off slightly ahead in January, February’s wholesale shipments by park model manufacturers were down 21.1% compared to February 2015, according to RVIA. Builders shipped 302 park models, compared to 383 the previous February.
For the first two months of the year, park model shipments were down 9.9% from the same period of 2015 with a cumulative total of 580.
Looking at shipment destinations, RVIA reported that Texas received the greatest number of February’s shipments with 36, followed by 25 shipped to Indiana, 21 to Arizona, 20 to California and 19 each to Ohio, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
On the other hand, in the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) February survey of manufacturers, RV wholesale shipments to retailers accelerated to 35,929 units this year, a 13.9% increase over last month and a 12.1% increase over this same month one year ago.
Through the first two months this year shipments have reached 67,455 units, an 11.4% gain over this same two-month period last year. Continuing a trend established a number of months ago, towable RVs have increased by the largest unit totals while motorhomes reported the greatest percentage gains over the previous year.
Increased employment and greater consumer discretionary income have been the driving force behind recent consumer spending increases, which factored heavily into the increase in RV shipments. This month’s total was the best February in 39 years and represents an annualized rate of more than 425,000 units. It also marks the best such annualized rate since late 2005.
Article excerpted from RVBusiness.com.
