Time to Roam Magazine Issue 11 - October/November 2014 | Page 10

| upfront industry news GET SET FOR A CARAVAN INVASION Moves by America’s biggest RV manufacturer to enter the Australian market signals a new wave of competition from imports The BY ROD BRUEM Red Cedar - Red Gold Trilogy True stories and bushmen’s tales from the last days of cedar-getting Red Cedar – Red Gold Burying the Ghosts of the Past The hunt for the last of the fabulous cedars on the coast. ‘…an extraordinary tribute to red cedar…’ The battle for the last of the ‘red gold’ threatens the peace of the timber town. All Things Return to the Beginning The final chapter brings out the best in one man and the worst in another. e Frank Hardy, Darcy Niland ‘…Ridgway can be put alongsid erate mood rs who catch the not quite desp and those othe and J.S Ryan, University of New Engl of the 1930s…’ – Dr tage paid to anywhere in Australia. Purchase the trilogy for $75.00 pos Send cheque or money order to PO Box 5571, Port Macquarie, NSW, 2444 or visit www.ianridgway.com.au for PayPal or direct deposit details, book reviews, reader feedback and author profile. 10 timetoroam.com.au TTR11-QPV-redcedar-v1.indd 1 Caravan and RV buyers could make big savings and gain access to better quality product as overseas manufacturers increasingly focus on Australia. US motorhome giant Winnebago’s move to “re-launch” into the local market has sent shockwaves through the local industry with some seeing it as just the start of a period of renewed competition. The combined Australian and New Zealand market is regarded as the world’s third biggest for RV and camping goods after North America and Europe. Its somewhat smaller status is more than made up for by a climate more suited to year-round outdoor recreation and consistent economic growth. US motorhome giant Winnebago announced in July it had signed a new exclusive Australian partnership agreement with Brisbane-based Apollo, with plans to build motorhomes in Brisbane and import caravans from the US. Industry figures see it as just the start of a wave of new competition hitting our shores from overseas manufacturers, with the real threat expected to come from China over the next few years. “There are Chinese-made 8/09/14 10:17 AM Luke Trouchet CEO, Apollo components in nearly every RV today, but we can expect to see fully-made caravans as well as camper trailers being imported within the next three years, particularly if the Australian dollar remains strong,” one industry insider, who declined to be named, told Time to Roam. Apollo’s plans to start importing Winnebago caravans remain on track with CEO Luke Trouchet travelling to the US to oversee the design and finish of the first model destined for downunder. The company plans to import Winnebago’s “Minnie”, which has been its fastest selling new product in the US. Company sources say they will finally go on sale here in November.