RV wholesale shipments are expected to surpass 400,000 units by the end of 2019 and then see a minimal drop in 2020, according to the latest issue of RV RoadSigns, the quarterly forecast commissioned by the RV Industry Association and authored by independent RV industry analyst Richard Curtin, director of Surveys of Consumers at the University of Michigan.
RV shipments are projected to total 402,100 units by the end of this year, off 16.9 percent from the 2018 total of 483,700. Looking ahead to 2020, the double-digit percentage declines seen throughout 2019 will ease substantially as RV shipments are expected to dip 3.9 percent to 386,400 units in the most likely scenario (60 percent probability) of Dr. Curtin’s ranged forecast. The aggressive outlook of the forecast (15 percent probability) shows a slight rise in 2020 shipments to 404,600 units. The lower end of the range based on a conservative forecast (25 percent probability) sets the annual total at 359,600.
Trends Offset RV Shipment Decline
Curtin sees the slight decline in RV shipments being moderated by continued favorable trends in wages, jobs, inflation and interest rates. The positive factors will be clouded by consumer uncertainty about economic prospects due to policy issues such as tariffs and regulations, as well as political concerns that include the impeachment and a presidential election. Continued strong growth and lower inflation could push wholesale shipments toward the top of the forecast range while economic growth below two percent and sliding consumer confidence could lead to shipments in the lower end of the range.
Towable RV shipments are anticipated to reach 355,600 units in 2019 and 344,400 units in 2020. Motorhome shipments are projected to finish at 46,500 units by the end of this year and 42,000 units in 2020.
Although shipments are below an all-time comparable record high of 504,600 units in 2017, the RV market remains healthy and robust in historical context. The projected year-end totals of 402,100 units in 2019 and 386,400 units in 2020 would respectively rank as the fourth and sixth best years for the industry and easily exceed the 30-year (294,676 units), 20-year (331,206 units) and10-year (332,210 units) industry averages for wholesale shipments.
