Hymer plans for North America market...

[gregmchugh]

Interesting interview with more info on the Hymer plan for the North American market...

http://www.gohymer.com/wp-content/up...cle_092016.pdf

Most interesting new info I saw is the plan to introduce a low cost entry from Carado (seem to be all Class C's) and longer term plan to introduce Class A models from the luxury brands...

https://carado.de/en

[markopolo]

Thanks for sharing that article.

Two quotes from Jim stood out for me:

It is hard to understand, maybe, but the most expensive motorhome in our product lineup is our top seller.

I'd guess that's the CS.

Our bestselling chassis at the moment is the RAM Pro Master.

So more Promasters are being sold than Sprinters at RT.

The "Carado Van" looks like it will be the upcoming lower cost unit previously mention on this forum - http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5...el-b-5813.html .

Van may just be part on the name if it is built on a cutaway chassis. Some of those units are very B like though.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by markopolo

Thanks for sharing that article.

Two quotes from Jim stood out for me:



I'd guess that's the CS.



So more Promasters are being sold than Sprinters at RT.

I saw that, I guess it means they sell more Promasters but get more revenue from high end Sprinters.

[markopolo]

Makes sense.

Another thing that pops out to me is that they see profit potential in offering lower cost units - likely lower cost, higher volume. That's good news. I'm more interested in used units. For there to be a good supply of used units they first have to be sold as new. Lower cost new should equate to more new units on the road thus more used units later.

[gregmchugh]

One of those small Class C units from Carado on the Promaster would seem to me to be a good choice for introduction over here...

[markopolo]

They seem similar to the Winnebago Trend - https://winnebagoind.com/products/cl...trend/overview - maybe a bit smaller.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by markopolo

They seem similar to the Winnebago Trend - https://winnebagoind.com/products/cl...trend/overview - maybe a bit smaller.

The small Carado can be 20 ft long and up to the length of the Trend depending on the floorplan. Some have the typical raised rear bed though with a big side to side storage compartment under the bed.

It will be interesting to see where the price will be on a low cost entry...

[markopolo]

There's no mention of any other new B vans other than the Carado (which may or not be a B).

Class C sales have been booming for a couple of years now. Class A shipments dipped negative for the month in the last report: http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f9...html#post48753

Trailers would have to be a high volume business I think.

RV PRO: Where do you see the Erwin Hymer Group North America in five years?
Brandt and Hammill: By then, we (hope to) have a 5 to 7 percent market share. That is divided between all motorhome models from Class A to Class C and all towables. We have 500 to 600 dealerships spread all over North America. That is the Erwin Hymer Group target. And in seven years, that will have to be a 10 percent share.

One question is will they reach those goals from the Kitchener location with new facilities? Time flies so we will know soon enough.

See: How Elkhart Became The RV Capital of The World - How Elkhart Became The RV Capital of The World - Inside INdiana Business

Today we all know Elkhart, Indiana as the RV Capital of the World. More than 80 percent of global RV production is based throughout the region.

[gregmchugh]

Video of a Carado production facility...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7rOyfygPJy8

[booster]

I guess I don't understand why JH would be surprised that a high end model was the biggest seller. It is very obvious to most folks that they are not very competitive in the mid and low market, so all that is left is the high end, new feature, market.

[wincrasher]

I'm not certain I understand the wisdom of Hymer getting into the Class A space in North America unless they think fuel prices are going to skyrocket.

The Class A market in the US is all about bigger is better and the prices are really getting steep. Hymer makes nothing that large to compete head on with the likes of WGO, Thor, Forest River, etc. There are dozens of big players too with deep pockets.

Their trailer strategy I get and it makes alot of sense. Especially if you are going after the younger demographic that doesn't want or have big trucks and SUV's.

[GeorgeB]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Interesting interview with more info on the Hymer plan for the North American market...

http://www.gohymer.com/wp-content/up...cle_092016.pdf

Most interesting new info I saw is the plan to introduce a low cost entry from Carado (seem to be all Class C's) and longer term plan to introduce Class A models from the luxury brands...

https://carado.de/en

Thanks, super interesting update on the Hymer/Roadtrek plans!

[markopolo]

My assumption is that European trailers must generally be lighter & perhaps have fewer or lesser amenities; maybe smaller fridges etc. for example in order to be towed by smaller cars. My trailer has 60 lbs of propane up front for example. Units over there may have smaller portable propane tanks in a compartment.

I watched a few of the towcar or the year competitions. Very thorough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnO-nBK9k0E

I didn't notice any weight distribution hitches yet the cars don't seem to sag much or too much. Weight distribution might be operator controlled by shifting gear around in the trailer - that's my guess as to how tongue weight is controlled. It appears that the tongue weight is lighter.

Friction applied to the ball provides some stabilization. That's quite different from what I see here.

You don't want the trailer to sway. Dramatic video on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ix7ZgsWTMg

[gregmchugh]

Jim Hammill mentioned in the video of the Hymer Touring towables at Hershey that tongue weights were 100 lb max.

[markopolo]

Wow, very different. Tongue weight of at least 10% of the trailer weight to prevent sway seems to be the guideline here.

Edit: looks like separate speed limits apply when towing over there: http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/oversea...s/speed-limits

Sway is related to speed (and weight distribution on trailer). Maybe the setups there are designed around the lower speed limits.

[markopolo]

Here's a good explanation as to why they can apparently tow big trailers with small cars. It's worth reading the whole article: Tow me down!

small quote from the article:

US tow safety prioritizes a naturally safe dynamic situation so that more people can pull at freeway speeds with less likelihood of incident. There is no doubt that using this method results in an inherently safer tow situation as it relates to vehicle dynamics.

UK tow safety allows for the possibility to carry more weight, but erring on the side of caution with far less safety margin in respect to the physics.

The physics involved explains the lower towing speed limits over there.

[wincrasher]

They are also using torsion type axles. That puts the center of gravity much lower, enables a lower ride height, and also the driving dynamics with regard to sway and being blown around are much better.

The two units Hymer was showing at Hershey were impressive and drew large crowds. The build quality was quite impressive. But they had cassette toilets and no AC. The salesmen were telling us they were going to re-engineer the pop-tops to handle installing air conditioners. No commitment on the toilets though. I was struck by how much storage they had, and the bright, modern interiors. I think they will sell very well if the prices don't get crazy.

In comparison, the Airstream basecamp was pretty cool. But it was bigger than the Hymer trailers and the interior was much darker. But it had all the equipment we'd expect in NA and they are ready to sell now - not a year from now.

[markopolo]

It's interesting that the seemingly same vehicle will have a different tow rating in Europe than in North America.

I read about it in this article: It isn't just trucks and SUVs that can tow - The Globe and Mail

small quote from the much longer article:

It’s hard for an owner to know whether, say, their Chevrolet Cruze (which has a 454-kilogram tow rating in North America) is built exactly the same as the European version (which is rated tow up to 1,200 kilograms), so if in doubt, play safe and observe the lower limit.

How do you overcome that if trying to sell the trailers to car drivers here?

[gregmchugh]

A major selling point Hymer had at Hershey was that there were Touring towables that were light enough to be towed by any current vehicle sold in the US, except for a few electric vehicles, as I recall from Jim's info in the video he did with Mike.

[booster]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

A major selling point Hymer had at Hershey was that there were Touring towables that were light enough to be towed by any current vehicle sold in the US, except for a few electric vehicles, as I recall from Jim's info in the video he did with Mike.

That's interesting, as the last commuter I had before I retired very plainly called out that it had no tow rating because they weren't approved for towing (1997 Mercury Tracer sedan). Can't say about "current" stuff.

Somehow, I can't see a Smart car pulling much trailer.