If you’re looking seriously at Sprinter-based RVs by the big manufacturers (Winnebago, Roadtrek, Pleasure-Way, et al), you’ll notice that Winnebago Eras are available at fire-sale prices: $70,000 is a common price, compared to the $100,000 average from the rest of the big manufacturers. Why? According to a manufacturer’s rep I spoke to at a recent RV show that featured a number of Sprinter RVs, it’s “Winnebago’s economies of scale” that allow for these prices. However, according to some of their competitors and their financial filings, it’s possible to see this a different way: the Winnebago Era, Winnebago’s re-entry into the class B market (they last co-produced the VW Eurovan camper) hasn’t generated much enthusiasm.
According to Winnebago’s 2009 Form 10K filed Oct 27/2009, the company sold just 149 Winnebago Eras in 2009, out of reputedly some 400 Sprinters they purchased in 2007 to convert as Sprinter RVs.
A Reuters press release about their fourth-quarter 2009 financial results call, held a month ago, said Winnebago thought that the worst of this year was behind it, and was optimistic about 2010: “Winnebago said it had increased its workforce by 350 during the quarter. The current headcount at the company, including the additional workers, is about 2,000. That is down from a peak of 4,220 in 2004. U.S. motorhome manufacturers have watched sales drop for five years in a row as rising gasoline prices and then the worldwide economic downturn killed demand for its products, which in the case of Winnebago range in price from $65,000 to $317,000. RV manufacturers expect to ship just 14,100 motorhomes in 2009, the industry’s worst showing in the 38 years data has been collected. That is down 50 percent from the 28,300 shipped in 2008 and down 80 percent from 71,800 in 2004”.
The Winnebago Era is a Sprinter RV built on the Sprinter 2500 170″ chassis, quite a bit lighter at 8550 lbs than the 11,000 lb Sprinter 3500 chassis – probably still not something you’ll want to take off a paved road, but much lighter than an Airstream Interstate.
No word yet on whether the Winnebago Era will be around after 2010…
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