Four years after approving a voluntary best practices recommendation to align model year changeovers, RVIA’s Board of Directors voted last week to alter the recommendation for the 2026 model year.
Since June 2020, RVIA has recommended a best practice for RV manufacturers to change over model years between July 1 and Aug. 31. The new recommendation would move the model year changeover to take place from June 1 to June 30.
The 2020 recommendation was scheduled to run through 2023, with annual reviews after that time. Last year, RVIA’s board recommended continuing the July 1 to Aug. 31 timeframe.
The initial best practices recommendation on alignment was met with strong support from RVDA and the nation’s RV dealers. RVDA President Phil Ingrassia said the association conducted surveys as long as 20 years ago suggesting the dealer body wanted to align model year releases.
Thor Industries, Forest River and Winnebago followed the recommendation for their towable RV manufacturing beginning in July 2021. Motorized manufacturing was more mixed. Forest River motorized products adopted the new timeline starting in 2021, while other manufacturers, including Newmar, Tiffin, Rev Group and Thor Motor Coach, did not.
Among the potential effects of the change is Elkhart Extravaganza’s timing. If the event, launched by Forest River 15 years ago, remains in its late September slot after the Hershey America’s Largest RV Show, manufacturers would now showcase new model-year RVs to their dealer body three to four months after production runs begin.
Among the model-year alignment benefits was the elimination of mid-model-year updates. Previously, dealers who ordered an RV from one model year could find a new model year shipped to their lots before the older model year RVs were cleared out.
Also, the alignment made used RV valuations easier without mid-model-year RVs to disrupt the market.
RVIA said, “In addition to improving the customer experience, the voluntary adoption of a model year changeover timeframe also benefits RV industry businesses.”
RVIA said dealers could more efficiently manage their inventory when model year changes are aligned and suppliers are more efficient in stocking and making manufacturers’ parts.
RVIA’s board said the adoption of best practices is entirely voluntary. The board encouraged RV manufacturers to exercise individual, independent discretion in deciding whether to adopt the recommendation.
