RV travel has always been one of the most popular travel methods in Europe and America.
Europe and the United States have a long-standing RV culture, and both RV sales and RV user groups rank among the top in the world.
On the other hand, in China, the application of RVs in China has not yet achieved real popularity. However, in recent years, the tilt of policies and the cooperation of local governments have also ushered in the dawn of the RV industry!
Let’s take a look at the data of European and American RVs today, so as to draw some analysis and development directions!
European and American RV market
In 2018, European RV sales increased by about 7% compared with 2017, reaching 202,611 units. This is the first time since 2007 that RV sales have exceeded 200,000. Among them, German RV sales topped the list, with 71,186 RV sales, an increase of 12.5% over the same period in 2017.
France, as the third largest European RV market, sold 32,002 RVs, an increase of 8.6% over the same period in 2017. The sales of 35,743 cars in the UK still ranked second in the European caravan market, but it was down 6.2% compared with the same period in 2017.
Except for the special factors of Brexit in the UK and a slight decline in the sales of RVs in Switzerland, the entire European RV market is showing a growth trend. Motorhome sales in Germany and Belgium both broke new records.
The growth was most notable in the Southern European markets, Italy and Spain, which were up 17.3% and 16.9% respectively compared to the same period in 2017.
On the contrary, the U.S. market is not so surprised. In 2018, the sales volume of RVs in the U.S. was 483,672 units, a decrease of 4.1% from the total sales volume of 504,599 units in 2017. Although slightly down, RV sales in 2018 were the second-highest on record.
Motorhome and caravan market
When subdividing the self-propelled RV market and trailer RV market, the European data performance is quite gratifying.
In 2018, the sales of self-propelled RVs in Europe hit a new high, reaching 124,931 units, an increase of 12.8% over the same period in 2017.
In 2018, several countries broke records for motorhome sales: Germany, France, Sweden (7,218), Spain (4,857), Belgium (6,134), the Netherlands (1,998) and Austria (1,480). Sales of self-propelled motorhomes in Germany were 46,859 units, an increase of 15.5% compared to the same period in 2017. Sales of self-propelled motorhomes in France reached 23,878 units, an increase of 11.9% over the same period in 2017.
The key markets in Southern Europe, Italy and Spain, also saw significant growth in motorhome sales, up 19.9% and 22.9% respectively. Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark also saw significant growth in sales, increasing by 12.7%, 14.8%, 13.2% and 70.6% respectively. As the largest market, the United States sold 57,585 self-propelled RVs in 2018, down 8.1% from the same period in 2017.
In 2018, the demand for trailer-type RVs in the European RV market further increased, and the sales volume of trailer-type RVs was 77,680.
Compared with the same period in 2017, the rate of gain was slightly lower by 1.7%, mainly due to the 11.9% decline in UK caravan sales. In 2018, Germany replaced the United Kingdom, ranking first in sales of trailers, with sales of 24,327 units, an increase of 7.2%. France ranks third in the sales volume of towed RVs, with sales of 8,124 units, which is equivalent to the sales volume of RVs in 2017. On the contrary, the US market is showing a tendency to become saturated. %.
From the data point of view, Europe is at a time when RV development is strong, while the United States has produced more than 2.4 million RVs since the outbreak of the economic crisis in 2008. One out of every 10,000 people owns a RV. Looking at the market, the U.S. RV market is relatively stable, and RV manufacturers should focus on Europe, China and other places where people’s living standards continue to rise.
Source: Future RV Rental
