The country’s largest Winnebago dealer is also the country’s newest Newmar dealer.
Lichtsinn RV in Forest City, Iowa, which has been an exclusive Winnebago dealer for three decades, added the Newmar Freedom Aire to its lineup this week. The dealership said consumers can explore the Type C motorhome immediately on its website and in person this fall at its indoor showroom.
Newmar is a Winnebago brand.
Lichtsinn RV is located just minutes from the Winnebago motorized factory in Forest City. The proximity simplifies the relationship between dealer and manufacturer, and plays a role in Lichtsinn RV’s status as the largest volume Winnebago dealership.
The 500 miles separating Forest City and Newmar’s Nappanee, Indiana, headquarters adds a wrinkle to the way Lichtsinn RV has always done business. Owner Ron Lichtsinn Jr. is not concerned.
“The things that we were most impressed with in dealing with (President) Casey (Tubman) and (Vice President of Sales) Matt (Ellinger) and (Sales Representative) Ryan (Burkhart) at Newmar is the close alignment with the culture of doing what is right, operating with integrity and always taking care of our mutual guests. We think the alignment of that culture between our dealership and Newmar will provide a great partnership.”
The Freedom Aire is a compact Type C motorhome built on the Mercedes-Benz 4500 Sprinter chassis.
Lichtsinn RV General Manager Heidi Thompson said, “We found it to be a good fit for us. We have been long-term partners with Winnebago motorized. We were looking at product partners to enhance and grow our current offering, and the Freedom Aire was an easy way to start with Newmar.”
Lichtsinn said the dealership could add additional Newmar models in the future.
“There is always an opportunity to add models,” he said. “We have a lot of expertise in compact, fuel-efficient RVs, so this was a great opportunity to provide kind of a differentiator for us. It is not the most affordable Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in the marketplace, but we truly believe that it is the highest quality built. So, it was just kind of the right opportunity.”
Lichtsinn said adding parts and service support on Newmar’s full lineup is just as important as adding a new motorhome to the showroom floor. Technicians will not be able to run down the street for Newmar parts, like they can with Winnebago, but Lichtsinn is confident in the process.
“The speedy availability of parts and service is a critical foundation for us,” Lichtsinn said. “We are very proud of our service team and our parts team, and we do a lot of transient work. You will never hear anyone at our dealership ask where you purchased your coach before we provide service.”
Lichtsinn RV has been recognized by Winnebago Industries as the top-selling Winnebago dealer each year since 2015. The dealership has received Winnebago’s Flying W Customer Service award for over 30 years.
“I would underscore the fact that it does not change our drive to continue to grow, sell, service and provide parts for Winnebago motorized owners,” Lichtsinn said. “This is an incremental initiative to help our mutual guests with Newmar. It speaks to our commitment to the enterprise model at Winnebago with Newmar being owned by Winnebago.”
