After a year in which forecasts projected wholesale RV shipments below 300,000, RVIA reported 2023 year-end wholesale RV shipments passed the threshold.
RVIA’s December 2023 manufacturer survey found the industry shipped 313,174 RVs in the calendar year. The total is a 36.5% decline from 2022 levels and the lowest shipment total since 2012, when the industry totaled 285,749 wholesale RV shipments.
However, the last two months of the year brought signs of an uptick in the industry.
For the second consecutive month, 2023 shipment levels were greater than the same month in 2022. December 2023 wholesale RV shipments totaled 21,522, up 8.1% from the 19,907 shipments in December 2022.
November was the first month of year-over-year shipment gains in 18 months.
RVIA President and CEO Craig Kirby said, “RV shipments for the last two months of 2023 showed an increase over the previous year, and our projections indicate we should continue to see increased shipments and retail sales in 2024, particularly in the latter half of the year. We are further encouraged by the positive attendance numbers we have already seen at consumer RV shows in 2024, with consumers expressing excitement about new features and RV product innovations.”
The 313,174 topped RVIA forecasts from the Fall and Winter RV RoadSigns report. The Fall report projected a likely total of 297,100 shipments, 5.4% less than the eventual 2023 total. The Winter report increased the likely projection to 307,700 shipments. The 2023 total came in just below the Winter report’s high range of 313,400 shipments.
In December, towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, were up 11.4% compared with December 2022 at 18,680 shipments. Motorhomes were down 9.4% compared with the same month last year at 2,842 units.
For more information on the December 2023 shipment report, click here.
