Why are the major class-B manufactures so out of touch and behind in U.S. market?

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by jrobe

Sortsmobile and ARV put their money where the vision was and have been pretty successful. They even both survived the last recession. I think the visionaries here who keep telling us there is money to be made in B’s for young people with bicycles, preferably with lots of high tech and for prices young people can afford should go for it. If the market is there it will be lucrative. Apple didn’t just post the same message over and over on forums. They pursued their vision. I would love to see someone do the same with B’s. It sounds like we have some of those people here.

This is a forum for users discussing the pluses and minuses of today’s availability of Class B. Folks not finding what they want do DIYs, others buy vacation shares or condos or do whatever.

“Apple didn’t just post the same message over and over on forums”, indeed but what is the point.

I am glad you would love to see some progress, me too.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Yes, and it was pretty successful if the goal was to show they could develop something special and unique. Probably lost money on the effort but back then they had big budgets for stuff like that. Still plenty of those motorhomes on the road today and a cult following.

I worked on a project in the 80s at GM Research that fielded one of the first GPS Navigation and Routing systems. Filled up the trunk of an Oldsmobile and was tested on customers in a rental fleet in Orlando to study the driver interface and they collected a lot of useful data on what worked and what didn’t. They never turned it into a viable product themselves but the research results provided info that was used in systems they sourced in later years.

My parents had one. I think they made just over 14,000 but over several years. They were ahead of their time in design and though they were classified as Class A they were B size in height and width and from 23 to 28 ft. long.

[Davydd]

Perhaps you will remember Advanced RV's first 144" Sprinter was a bicycle toy hauler. Since they got some new short 4x4's in I think the next one will be decked out for a full-timer.

https://advanced-rv.com/portfolio-it...v-advanced-rv/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZbwHH5Szfo

[GeorgeRa]

This one was a winner in my view, $82K todays money but only a few hundreds were made. Welcome to Vixen 21 Motorcoach Website.

[BBQ]

.

From the videos, we can see the European manufacturing is a lot more streamlined and efficient than the NA counterpart. No wonder their Class B are less expensive.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

This one was a winner in my view, $82K todays money but only a few hundreds were made. Welcome to Vixen 21 Motorcoach Website.

A strong contender for this category is the 23 ft mini clsass A Aerocruiser circa 1988-1992,

Aero Cruiser Motorhome Club 23 Footer

[avanti]

Originally Posted by jrobe

Sortsmobile and ARV put their money where the vision was and have been pretty successful. They even both survived the last recession.

Advanced RV was founded in 2012. They haven't yet survived any recession.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

From the videos, we can see the European manufacturing is a lot more streamlined and efficient than the NA counterpart. No wonder their Class B are less expensive.

Those videos were not of Class B van production and if there were production on a scale other than a few thousand Bs per year shared by all companies someone in America would ramp up to more sophistication.

The very first Advanced RV was designed with 3D Solidworks on the computer taking it directly to a CNC router for production. There is nothing new in that European video already implemented in one of the smallest American converters.

With all that sophistication the Europeans still have that inadequate, uncomfortably upright, supposedly two seats third seat in just about every design. It seems they can't unshackle their designs.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

From the videos, we can see the European manufacturing is a lot more streamlined and efficient than the NA counterpart. No wonder their Class B are less expensive.

Note a well distributed process control checks in the Adria plant and one at the end at the Pleasure Way plant, seems as sixties/seventies US TV manufacturers dilemma of flat top Bell curves versus Sony’s invasion.

[Robert Ryan]

From my experience every market is different
@Davyyd US Pickups died out in Australia in 2007. Last F150 in 1992. Currently a design and development centre in Gerlong Centre in Victoria is working on all Global Rangers

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

From my experience every market is different
@Davyyd US Pickups died out in Australia in 2007. Last F150 in 1992. Currently a design and development centre in Gerlong Centre in Victoria is working on all Global Rangers

The last mid-size Ford Ranger plant closed in St. Paul, Minnesota a few years ago. The USA has all gone to full-size pickups like the F150. You rarely see a single seat cab anymore. GM, Honda, Nissan and Toyota sell pickups that are smaller but not like the old mid-size definition. I have a 2003 Subaru Baja a small pickup based on the Subaru Outback, and it last sold in 2006. I noticed a lot of pickups in Australia of that Baja compact size with about a 4 foot bed. They don't exist here. I've continuously owned pickups since 1970. The Baja is my classic toy. I barely put 2,000 miles per year on it.

[BBQ]

.

I am surprised the Baja did not sell better.

They should have given it a lift and some bigger tires.

[MsNomer]

When I bought my 2006 single-cab Tundra with 8-foot bed, I thought it would be fungible. I didn't know it was the end of an era.

[Phoebe3]

Everything is so big, now. My kid learned to drive a stick shift on a Toyota T100 (1976, I believe) that was the size of my current Subaru.

I have a 1997 F150 single-cab short bed (6ft). Very useful, but I would replace it with an extended cab Ranger, if they still made them.

[InterBlog]

OP, welcome to the Class B world, where if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Which numerous people have done. Many, many, many hours of DIY labor can produce the product that you seek with the styling you want at a price that remains within the 5-figure range. A few of those DIYers are here on this forum. Many others are out on the open internet.

My husband and I bought a 2007 Airstream Interstate as complete newbies 3.5 years ago, and quickly learned that we should have built our own van from scratch instead. But having developed a fondness for the thing, we kept it and proceeded to pour major investments into it. If you are interested, you can peruse some of our mods on my blog, which is non-monetized (unlike those of most of the other van DIYers out there). You'll find some of your specific points addressed therein. With a non-extended (i.e., 22-ft) Sprinter-based B, I do carry such things as a bicycle, kayak, a bunch of bushcraft tools, and a Yeti cooler that can supply us with about 3 weeks of food. We travel almost exclusively off-grid with it. The last time I hooked up to an external power source was October 2016.

[Robert Ryan]

I bet to differ, it's not as simple as the grass is always greener. There are lots of categories I think the American companies do as well as, or better than the Europeans. For example, in my opinion and many others, U.S. Companies makes the best mountain bikes, arguable the best full sized pick-up trucks, computers, movies, hi-fi equipment, on and on.

You would be right about full size Pickup Trucks. Europeans do not make them in fact Pickup Trucks in general are an extreme niche in Europe, less than 1% of all vehicles sold are Pickup Trucks. Well Computers Hi Fi Equipment Asians in General.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Davydd

The last mid-size Ford Ranger plant closed in St. Paul, Minnesota a few years ago. The USA has all gone to full-size pickups like the F150. You rarely see a single seat cab anymore. GM, Honda, Nissan and Toyota sell pickups that are smaller but not like the old mid-size definition. I have a 2003 Subaru Baja a small pickup based on the Subaru Outback, and it last sold in 2006. I noticed a lot of pickups in Australia of that Baja compact size with about a 4 foot bed. They don't exist here. I've continuously owned pickups since 1970. The Baja is my classic toy. I barely put 2,000 miles per year on it.

The Ranger goes back into production in Michigan for 2019...

[Robert Ryan]

Originally Posted by Davydd

The last mid-size Ford Ranger plant closed in St. Paul, Minnesota a few years ago. The USA has all gone to full-size pickups like the F150. You rarely see a single seat cab anymore. GM, Honda, Nissan and Toyota sell pickups that are smaller but not like the old mid-size definition. I have a 2003 Subaru Baja a small pickup based on the Subaru Outback, and it last sold in 2006. I noticed a lot of pickups in Australia of that Baja compact size with about a 4 foot bed. They don't exist here. I've continuously owned pickups since 1970. The Baja is my classic toy. I barely put 2,000 miles per year on it.

Well Davydd you have noticed something no Australian has ever noticed. Last time a Subaru Baja sold here was 10yrs ago. Current Pickups running around are all 3litre Diesels GVWR 6,600-7200lbs. No Compacts you are referring too

[Robert Ryan]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

The Ranger goes back into production in Michigan for 2019...

As I have posted prior it is has been designed and developed here. US version will have a 2.3 Ecoboost. Different markets have different requirements. Like the other " 1.tonne" Pickups they sell to 100 countries plus.
Toyota Hilux is the 4th best selling Pickup Globally with 600,000 sold annually

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

...

Toyota Hilux is the 4th best selling Pickup Globally with 600,000 sold annually

Australia alone sold more Hilux than that.