Stellantis announces $155 million investment in three Indiana plants to support North American electrification goals

Stellantis is investing $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America and support the goal of 50% battery electric sales in the U.S. by 2030. With more than 25 battery electric vehicle (BEV) launches planned in the U.S. between now and 2030, the Kokomo-built EDM will be integrated into vehicles designed on the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms. Offering an all-in-one solution for electric vehicle powertrains, the EDM consists of three main components – the electric motor, power electronics and transmission – that are combined into a single module to deliver improved performance and range at a competitive cost. The optimized efficiency of the new EDM will help each platform achieve driving range up to 500 miles (800 km). “While we continue our successful transition to a decarbonized future in our European operations, we are now setting those same foundational elements for the North American market,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “By combining the benefits of the EDM with our new BEV-centric platforms and innovative battery technologies, we will offer our customers a variety of electric vehicles with unparalleled performance and range at more affordable prices. And with our in-house manufacturing capabilities and expertise, we will do it with greater flexibility and efficiency.”

Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024. With the investment, more than 265 jobs will be retained across all three plants.

“With more than 7,000 employees in Indiana, these investments will leverage the core manufacturing competencies of the local workforce in the areas of casting, machining and assembly, all of which will be needed even as the market transitions to an electrified future,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO. Since 2020, Stellantis has invested nearly $3.3 billion in Indiana to support its transition to electrification. This includes recent announcements of $643 million to produce a new engine for conventional and PHEV applications, a next generation eightspeed transmission and a gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI. In total, these investments support Stellantis’ ambition to achieve carbon net zero by 2038, as set out in its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.

Hobby MAXIA caravan receives DCC Safety Award 2023

Hobby received the DCC Safety Award 2023 during its press conference at the CMT holiday exhibition in Stuttgart for its MAXIA 495 UL caravan. The experts from the German Camping Club (DCC) were ‘blown away’ by how masterfully the design has been combined with an extensive range of standard equipment and safety features.

Hobby Managing Director Holger Schulz was delighted to accept the DCC Safety Award at the exhibition stand in Stuttgart. “The award is a tremendous accolade and shows that the latest products in our Maxia range are also going down a storm with our customers. In addition to various safety features, this range boasts an openplan design and natural materials, as well as a generous helping of Nordic ‘hygge’.”

When choosing their winner, the DCC caravan experts took into account all the safety aspects, the fixtures and fittings, as well as how the Maxia caravan is produced. The number of lights and plug sockets, as well as the large refrigerator and the excellent craftsmanship of the caravan made a particularly good impression. In the case of the latter, the DCC caravan experts took an extensive tour of the factory in May 2022 and saw with their own eyes how the model is made, right from the start. This provided them with key insights into things that cannot be seen once the caravan is complete, such as the installation of the cables and lines. “This caravan clearly demonstrates the current and future possibilities of caravan construction. Put simply, the option to increase a caravan’s load capacity and an all-inclusive equipment package have long been part and parcel of the perfect caravan. Only then is the issue of safety adequately addressed,” says DCC President Dieter Albert.

Aguti expands into Japan via cooperation with RV brand, Toy-Factory

Aguti, a European market leader for motorhome seating systems and a specialist competence centre within the global AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group and DexKo Global Inc, is expanding into Japan after agreeing a cooperation to supply seating technology with the leading manufacturer of motorhomes in the country, Toy-Factory. Founded in 1995, Toy-Factory has an uncompromising approach to quality, combining its own expertise with quality European suppliers. The new Fiat Ducato-based motorhome will be available to Japanese customers with a variety of Aguti seating products to give a European touch. Aguti’s Managing Director, Sebastian Janssen commented: “We are proud to be entering the Japanese market and I would like to thank our friends at Toy-Factory for their trust. RVs are in high demand in Japan at the moment, and the supply is catching up considering the various global supply chain factors. Toy-Factory’s uncompromising development approach has made its motorhomes very popular in this market. We are happy being part of this exciting project and bringing Aguti to the Japanese market for the first time.”

The first-class Milan seats and the new slide-out comfort bench seat from Aguti are sold to Japanese customers through 11 Toy-Factory retailers and the network of more than 300 affiliated Toyota dealers nationwide.

Fiat Ducato “Best Motorhome Base Vehicle” for the 15th time by Promobil readers

The Fiat Professional Ducato has been voted the “Best Motorhome Base Vehicle 2023” for the fifteenth time in a row by the readers of the German magazine “Promobil”. The annual readers’ choice of the German magazine is an important reference point and benchmark for the trends in the field of leisure vehicles for more than a quarter of a century. It confirms the trust customers have in Fiat Professional Ducato as the ideal base for their leisure vehicle: several variants of the Fiat Professional Ducato are the base for motorhomes designed and developed together with the largest European motorhome manufacturers. The cornerstone of the Ducato’s successful streak is the strategy of designing the vehicle as a platform for add-ons right from its development stage. Ducato has always offered modularity, car-like driveability and versatility. Today, the community of Ducato-based motorhome owners has grown to over 700,000 members who travel all over Europe. To let Fiat Professional Ducato users enjoy their holidays with peace of mind, Fiat has been offering for years a free phone assistance service in 51 countries and 15 languages exclusively for motorhome owners, which helps with breakdowns, but also with any kind of information. Since the presentation of the first model in 1981, the Ducato has been continuously improved and is now sold in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Thule Group appoints Mattias Ankarberg as President and CEO

Thule Group’s board of directors has appointed Mattias Ankarberg as the new president and CEO of the company. To secure a seamless handover, Magnus Welander will remain in his role until Mattias Ankarberg has finished his current role.

Hans Eckerström, chair of the board, said: “The board is very pleased to be able to present Mattias Ankarberg as the new president and CEO of Thule Group as part of the long-term succession planning. Mattias will be a great addition and a great force for Thule as it is now time to lift the company to the next level and continue building the organization with talented people. The company is about to launch two new product categories that were presented at the capital markets day in 2022, and the board believes that in connection with the ongoing commercial investments, the time is now right for a new leadership. In his previous roles, Mattias has proven himself as a successful leader with extensive experience in consumer goods, branding and international markets. I am happy to welcome Mattias as the new president and CEO and would like to thank Magnus for his long and successful leadership of Thule.” Mattias Ankarberg has over 20 years of experience in consumer goods, from McKinsey & Company (located in Sweden and the USA), H&M (several senior positions, most recently as Global Sales and Marketing Manager) and now as CEO of Byggmax Group (publ). Mattias has been a member of the board of the Thule Group since 2018. He will take over as President and CEO of Thule no later than August 9, 2023.

AIRXCEL: warehouse expansion

To give more capacity and support to Airxcel brands, it has announced that it is moving warehousing and distribution for Airxcel brands Coleman-Mach, Maxxair, Suburban, United Shade, and MCD from its Verdant Street warehouse to the larger 126,000 square foot facility at 3002 Coast Court in Elkhart, Indiana. The expansion is expected to be fully operational in March, 2023. “The layout and capabilities of the Coast Court warehouse allows for better logistics and order fulfillment,” said Marc Brunner, General Manager, Dicor. “This warehouse has double the dock doors compared to the Verdant location and is located minutes away from the major highways. After the supply chain challenges of the past few years, this move will help us better serve our customers both locally and throughout the country.”

Big numbers from the German market in 2022

Camping and caravanning sets new record of over 13 million visitor nights in Queensland, AU

New research released by Tourism Research Australia shows another incredible result for the caravan industry in Queensland Australia which, for the first time, has exceeded 13 million visitor nights annually. Along with that, the research also shows: 3,054,394 overnight trips (+10.3% on the previous year); $2.04 billion in visitor expenditure (+27.4% on the previous year). The quarter data (July – September 2022) recorded 890,000 overnight caravan and camping trips across the state and over 5.2 million visitor nights. This is an increase of 24% in trips and 32% in nights and represents the largest September quarter of trips and nights on record.

The growth in trips was mainly driven by younger market segments (15-19 years + 20-29 years) which grew 20% year-onyear. While interstate travel has increased compared to Y/E September 2021, intrastate travel remains above pre-pandemic levels, accounting for 87% of trips and 67% of nights in QLD. These results demonstrate the incredible resilience and strength of the sector that kept growing despite all the adversities brought by unprecedented past events – from the pandemic to damaging floods early in 2022.

Adria Supersonic wins

German Design Award 2023 for excellent product design

Adria Mobil’s new Supersonic A-class motorhome (on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis), which made its public debut at the Caravan Salon Dusseldorf 2022, has won the German Design Award 2023 for excellent product design. The Jury of the German Design Award commented: “Supersonic combines well thought-out, timeless, luxurious design with performance and innovation, promising an exclusive driving and living experience at the highest level of design and technology.”

According to the Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD) press release, in 2022 a total of around 91,000 motor caravans and caravans were newly registered in Germany. This is the third-highest result in the history of the industry. Compared to the previous year, 66,507 units, or around 18.3 percent fewer motor caravans, were newly registered. The caravan segment remained at the previous year’s level with 24,478 new registrations (-1 percent). The main reason for the lower new registration figures is supply shortages. As in previous years, demand for leisure vehicles will remain high in 2023. Motor caravans and caravans have not just been in vogue since Corona, but have been growing in popularity across Europe for many years. In 2020 and 2021, over 100,000 new leisure vehicles were registered in Germany each year – these were historic record figures for the industry. In 2022, however, new registrations were below the 100,000 mark: a total of 90,985 leisure vehicles were newly registered in Germany. Compared to the previous year, this represents a drop of 14.3 percent, but overall it is the third-highest new registration figure of all time. New registration figures could have been significantly higher, but due to faltering supply chains and staff shortages, manufacturers were only able to complete fewer vehicles than planned. The supply chain problems had already started in 2021 and worsened again in the last twelve months. A frustrating situation for the companies, as they were only able to process their very high order backlog with time delays and under increased material and energy costs.

Although for the first time in many years the caravanning industry cannot report a new record in new registrations, Hermann Pfaff, President of the Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD), is satisfied with the annual results: “The general conditions for the caravanning industry were again extremely difficult last year. Our industry has never experienced such a complex and challenging situation in this form before. The approximately 91,000 new registrations are therefore a more than solid result”. Looking to the future, the CIVD President is optimistic: “Due to the many volatile factors, we cannot make any specific forecasts at present. However, the fact is that motor caravans and caravans are still very much in vogue. In principle, we believe that the supply situation will also improve in the course of this year. Companies will then be able to better process their numerous orders again and waiting times for ordered vehicles will become shorter.”

‘RVs taking roads by storm’, says China Daily news report

A news story on ChinaDaily.com reported that demand for RV road trips is a growing trend in China, particularly since the COVID pandemic, with sales revenues for the RV travel company, Fliggy, nearly tripling compared to pre-pandemic.

“Taking self-driving tours by RV can bring consumers different and wonderful experiences, and the sector shows booming growth prospects.

Yet, at the initial stage of development, overall services available are not standardized and normative enough. We hope to help solve some real problems for the industry and consumers by introducing RV tour service standards,” said Cui Yupeng, deputy general manager of the vacation department at Fliggy.

However, despite the growth in demand, the supply of RVs seems to be lacking according to Wang Yankun from the Totem Travel Agency which offers long hual and domestic road trips: “Although the RV travel market had grown rapidly in the past few years in China, the supply of RVs is insufficient.”

The story reports that total sales of RVs in China have increased from less that 5,000 in 2017 to 12,600 in 2021, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

The RVIA in USA has also reported on this story and confirmed that it has already been working for years with Chinese officials to ensure US RV manufacturers are able to take advantage of the growing RV interest in China and that US product is not excluded through the standard setting process. Prior to the pandemic, the RVIA had set up meetings with Chinese state officials so they could learn how the USA licensees and tests RV drivers.

Strong start to 2023 for RV sales in the Netherlands

The KCI (Kampeer & Caravan Industrie) in the Netherlands (Holland) has reported a strong start to 2023 with an increase in registrations of both caravans and motorhomes compared to the figures in January 2022. In the first month of 2023, there were 332 new caravans registered in the Netherlands, resulting in a positive difference of 3.4%. In January, it even saw an increase of 14.9% compared to last year, which is equivalent to 177 registered new campers.