MCD Innovations recently announced that they have arranged with Jim and Peggy Grich of American RVer to represent them at national RV rallies and shows. The Griches have produced the monthly Internet-based television show for the RV market at AmericanRVer.com for the past three years.

"We have been considering installing the MCD American Duo™ Day/Night Shade System for a couple of years," said Jim Grich. "Once we came to the factory in McKinney, TX to create an AmericanRVer show on the company, we were so impressed with the quality of the product and the company itself that we decided to go to work for them. We will continue to produce American RVer as we travel across the country. Representing MCD Innovations simply adds another exciting facet to our lifestyle," noted Grich.

NuWa Industries offers MCD American Duo Shades MCD Innovations is pleased to announce that NuWa Industries, manufacturers of Hitchhiker fifth wheels, is offering the MCD American Duo™ Shade System as an option in their flagship Champagne model in the 2010 line-up and other models as requested. The company is the oldest existing manufacturer of fifth wheels, dating back to 1969. NuWa color/design coordinator Lori Reinhardt stated that, "We are guided by the comments of our customers who suggest improvements and request new features in our products. Recently, some of our customers from the NuWa Owners Forum were discussing MCD Shades, so we decided to prototype the shade to gauge the response. The customers that have seen the shade understand the benefit to cost ratio and think it is a quality investment." The American Duo™ Solar Sun Screen with Clearview® technology blocks 90% of the sun's UV rays from entering the coach, acting similarly to a dual-pane window, reducing the amount of heat that transfers into the coach living area while providing day time privacy and outward visibility. The Night Shade System provides 100% light blockage and room darkening capability. "We look forward to establishing a long-term relationship with NuWa Industries and will assist them in integrating our quality products into their custom made designs. The RV consumer will gain the most from this collaboration." noted Dave Townsley, MCD Innovations CEO. MCD Innovations has been creating exterior and interior shade systems, wheel covers, vent/fan covers, mirror bras and covers since 2003 in their state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in McKinney, TX. For more information and to review the benefits and features of the MCD shade technology, contact MCD Innovations at 800-804-1757, visit www.mcdinnovations.com or email [ e-mail ].

Dave Townsley, CEO of MCD Innovations, stated that he was excited to work with the Griches and utilize their experience in video, graphics, web design, public relations, and marketing skills. "We can utilize their 20-plus years of television experience to not only broaden our exposure to the RV market, but also to continue with our standard of excellent customer service."

MCD Innovations produces the American Duo™ Day/Night Shade System, exterior and interior solar privacy screens, wheel covers, mirror covers and bras, as well as vent, skylight, and wiper covers for many styles of recreational vehicles including Class A, Fifth-wheel, and travel trailers. The company employs state of the art, computerized manufacturing equipment to ensure the highest quality and consistency of their RV products. Manufacturers including Winnebago, Fleetwood, Tiffin, Monaco, New Horizons and NuWa offer MCD shades as original equipment in their coaches and fifth wheels.

The American Duo™ Shade System is an advanced, economical, hi-tech total privacy shade solution that takes the place of curtains, powered or manual sun visors, and pleated shades. The American Duo™ Solar Sun Screen with Clearview® technology blocks 90% of the sun's UV rays from entering the coach, acting similarly to a dual-pane window, reducing the amount of heat that transfers into the coach living area while providing day time privacy and outward visibility. The Night Shade System provides 100% light blockage and room darkening capability.

For more information about MCD Innovations, visit their website at www.mcdinnovations.com.

RVIA President Richard Coon will provide presentations focusing on the United States RV industry and RVIA in meetings with two European RV organizations this spring.

Coon’s first talk will come at the National Caravan Council’s ( NCC) Industry Forum, taking place on March 11, 2010 at the Forest Pines Golf and Country Club Hotel in Lincolnshire, England. NCC is the trade association for the United Kingdom caravan industry, encompassing touring caravans, motorhomes, caravan holiday home and park homes. The group’s Forum will examine what’s in store for the caravan industry over the next decade.

Coon will also attend the 32nd European Caravan Federation (ECF) General Meeting and the 16th Meeting of the European Leisure Vehicle Industry (MELVI), taking place together from May 6 - 8 in Stockholm, Sweden. He will address attendees during the MELVI meeting on May 7. The ECF is the umbrella group representing national organizations in the European caravan industry.

In his remarks to both groups, Coon plans to detail the RV market in the United States, discuss how RVIA supports its membership and the industry in general, and examine what steps the association took to help the industry weather the economic recession that hampered the RV market in 2009.

“Like most business, the RV industry is becoming an increasingly global entity,” said Coon. “These two meetings provide an excellent opportunity to meet with our European colleagues to share information and ideas about what we can all do to be more successful.”

Go RVing’s 105-spot Winter Olympics buy, which targeted a huge family viewing audience, rolled out Saturday, February 13 on NBC’s live coverage of men’s ski jumping and continued through the Games’ conclusion on February 28. The Vancouver Winter Games were the second-most watched ever, with a total of 190 million Americans tuning in to coverage on the networks of NBC Universal, which include NBC, CNBC, USA, MSNBC and Universal Sports.

“The Olympics viewing audience is a great fit for Go RVing,” said RVIA Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Gary LaBella. “Across the country, American families watched the games together and saw Go RVing’s terrific new Ambassadors of Affordability TV ads while they cheered on their country.”

Go RVing’s winter sports ad exposure will continue through March, with an additional 454 spots airing during Universal Sports’ programming coverage of World Cup Alpine Skiing, the Track & Field World Championships, American Cup Gymnastics, US Freestyle Ski Cup and more. Universal Sports’ coverage is being widely heralded, with USA Today reporting, “The shows shine in the quality, variety, and bracing honesty of the talk they provide.”

Go RVing’s $8.25 million media plan, designed to reach prospects with a wide variety of interests and media habits, will give the “Go Affordably. Go RVing” campaign broad exposure at a pivotal time in the industry’s recovery.

New GoRVing.com Draws More Visitors, Longer Visits

In the two weeks following the launch of a brand-new, highly interactive GoRVing.com website tied in to the new “Ambassadors of Affordability” ads, more than 31,000 visitors logged on to check out the site. Page views more than doubled what they were before the launch. In addition to drawing a bigger group of users, the new GoRVing.com is also keeping visitors on the site longer, with the average time spent on the site at almost 4.5 minutes, nearly double what it was prior to the launch.

The website allows consumers to customize their online experience to their own needs, offering access to an Explore RVs tool, a Vacation Cost Comparison tool; and an Activities Selector tailored to their age and interests. A more accessible, visible Locator tool allows users to search for RV dealers, rental sources, campgrounds, manufacturers, suppliers and shows.

Directly from the GoRVing.com home page or at any time during their site visit, GoRVing.com visitors can sign up to watch the new consumer video offered in all Go RVing advertisements. Available for viewing on the website, the video includes a new segment featuring new fuel-efficient and eco-friendly RVs. Consumers who order the Go RVing video become leads, available for downloading by industry participants in the Go RVing tie-in program.

New Go RVing Ads Popular on YouTube

Three of the four new “Ambassadors of Affordability” television spots are currently available for viewing by the public on YouTube.com. The animated spots have over 1,200 views so far, with the number of people logging on to check out the ads climbing every day. Those viewers who comment on the ads are very positive, with one viewer posting, “I love this commercial!” and another writing, “this made me giggle when I saw it on TV.”

The results of RVIA’s January 2010 survey of manufacturers reports that 15,800 new RVs were shipped from manufacturers to dealers in January, more than twice the total of January 2009 shipments. Both towable and motorhome categories grew, with all categories at the same or substantially above their January totals last year. Importantly, this increase marked the sixth consecutive month of improvement for RV shipments as dealer orders more closely reflected retail sales during the month.

Wholesale shipments of all towable RVs were reported at 14,300 units in January, up 15 percent from December 2009 and up 116 percent over the January 2009 number. Shipments of conventional travel trailers grew from 4,300 units in January 2009 to 9,500 units this January, a 120 percent increase. Fifth wheels climbed 150 percent over the previous year’s number to 3,500 units shipped, the largest percentage increase in the towables group. Folding camping trailers climbed 37 percent over last year; while shipments of truck campers doubled.

Motorhome shipments were reported at 1,500 units this January, up 114 percent over one year ago. Shipments of Type A motorhomes grew by 125 percent to 900 units. Type C motorhomes grew 150 percent over last year, with a total of 500 units shipped. Only Type B motorhomes did not grow over last year, with the same number of units (100) shipped this January as last.

“Evidence continues to mount that 2010 will be a year of recovery for the RV industry,” said RVIA President Richard Coon. “Although we still have a long way to go, consistently improving shipment numbers are a very positive sign for our industry. And, as the RV industry has historically been a leading indicator of recessions and recoveries, I hope that good news for the RV industry is also an encouraging sign for the nation’s economy as a whole."

For Details see Shipments

Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE:THO) announced its acquisition of SJC Industries, a privately-held manufacturer of ambulances based in Elkhart, Indiana, for approximately $20 million cash. Based upon SJC's prior performance, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings.

We believe that SJC is currently the second largest manufacturer of ambulances in the United States. Its brands include McCoy-Miller, Marque and Premiere, sold through a nationwide network of dealers. SJC has a strong, motivated management team and workforce led by Chuck Drake, President and Jim Evans, VP Finance, who will continue in their management roles following the closing. Under Thor's new ownership SJC will continue as an independent operation, in the same manner as Thor's recreation vehicle and bus companies. Mr. Drake will report to Richard Riegel, Thor's Senior Group President.

"The ambulance business is a natural fit with Thor's Bus and RV businesses. SJC is an innovator with a strong commitment to customer satisfaction. We believe their quality is the highest in the ambulance industry," said Peter B. Orthwein, Thor Chairman, CEO, & President. "The relationship with Thor will bring many operational synergies to SJC including procurement and lean production processes, among others," he continued.

Thor is the world's largest manufacturer of recreation vehicles and a major builder of commercial buses.