US RV giant Thor Industries has agreed to buy the Erwin Hymer Group in a deal that values the German caravan and motorhome maker at more than €2.1 billion (£1.86 billion), forming the world’s largest RV manufacturer.
Thor is a family of RV companies that includes the well-known brands Airstream and Jayco. Similarly, the Erwin Hymer Group currently makes caravans and motorhomes under 24 brand names that include UK favourites Bürstner, Dethleffs, Sunlight, Carado, Laika and Niesmann+Bischoff, as well as Hymer.
The Erwin Hymer Group produced more than 60,000 motorhomes and caravans in the financial year ending 31 August 2018, with expected revenues of over €2.5 billion (£2.2 billion).
This is just the latest, and largest, in a number of eye-catching acquisitions within the camping and caravanning world in recent years.
Early in 2017 the Erwin Hymer Group bought the UK-based Explorer Group, the caravan and motorhome maker behind the brands Elddis, Compass, Buccaneer and Xplore. It was re-named the Erwin Hymer Group UK.
Airstream relaunched in the UK in October 2017
The US market is huge and booming, with more than 500,000 new RVs sold in 2017, an increase of more than 17% on 2016 figures. Around 85% of these are towable trailers, with the remainder what we’d call motorhomes, and Thor has a market share of 48% in the US and Canada.
In comparison, in the UK combined sales of new touring caravans and motorhomes is currently under 40,000 units per year.
And don’t forget, the Airstream brand also re-launched in the UK in October 2017, in a distribution deal with the Swift Group, Britain’s largest caravan and motorhome manufacturer.
Further info:
Check out our 2019-model season preview for Bürstner motorhomes, the Erwin Hymer Group’s largest brand in the UK.
Check out our 2019-season preview of the new leisure vehicles from Elddis and Compass.
Check out our video review below of an Airstream tourer from earlier this year.