Thor Industries buy Erwin Hymer Group
Just as everyone was getting used to Elddis becoming Germanic, the Americans have moved on the whole Erwin Hymer Group.
Choppy times!
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All the promised investment going into Consett... just words. Another set of new owners for the former Explorer Group. I wouldn't buy a new Elddis now if it were the last LV manufacturer on earth.
Turns out the Germans had no commitment whatsoever and I doubt the Americans will care two jots about the little UK branch in the grand scheme of things, especially given the risk associated with the upcoming big B.
Still placing an order for an Elddis or any one of it's siblings at the NEC next month, anyone?
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Large American companies are known to asset strip. Cadbury? All the promises made to all those at Bourneville when the deal was done. All worthless.
Personally, I would avoid purchasing new from a company whose future was ultimately uncertain. Consett won’t be supported if it doesn’t fit. American business is ruthless, they have no sentiment and only look after their own.
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Didn't Lutz mention this as a possibility a while ago?
David
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At the time, there was talk about a minority stake going to a investment company, but a controlling interest remaining with the Hymer family. Now it seems the Hymer family is pulling out altogether and there will be a sellout to the competition on the world market, Thor Industries of Elkhart, Indiana. I've tried to find out the reason for this about turn in Hymer's plans, but as yet I haven't been very successful. I suspect there was an internal power struggle.
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Why would a US company buy an LV producer in Europe if it didn't intend to continue production in the medium term? Even assuming a hard Brexit, there is still the UK market which could attract tariffs if production was all in Europe.
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"Why would a US company buy an LV producer in Europe if it didn't intend to continue production in the medium term?"
Well there is certainly an immense amount for them to both learn and be free to implement in product build standard improvement. (one UK subsidiary excluded!)
I can't see much technology from the US migrating the other way, the more so as we move into a different vehicle powering era.
But to do it on borrowed money and paying over 2 billion Euros, I can't see this ending well for us clients.
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“I can't see much technology from the US migrating the other way, the more so as we move into a different vehicle powering era”
I think you shortchange the U.S.A Ocsid, what about the advanced technologies of-Silicon valley & Tesla vehicles?
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My post was pointing out that the U.S.A are world leaders in technology regardless of application. Not forgetting their huge RV interests full of ‘technology’.
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Actually, from what I've seen whenever I've rented motorhomes in the United States and Canada I came to the conclusion that the 'technology' in their RV's is very basic compared to what we have. OK, their RV's may be comfortable and sumptuous, but behind the facade they are really quite simple. For example, the heating in all the motorhomes that we had wasn't thermostatically controlled. One was constantly turning the heating up and down by hand.
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I never ventured to check, if it worked I’m happy. I leave my ‘junior tool kit’ at home when on hols👍🏻😊
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Regardless of what comes out of Silicon Valley or the aerospace industry (let’s not take into account Tesla, they’ve yet to make one single dollar of profit) if the American RV industry is anything like the majority of their automotive industry, they’ll not be passing technology ideas in Europe’s direction, more like, the other way around.
I have a feeling they’ll cherry pick and asset strip. The Americans are big fans of German products but won’t carry problematic businesses.
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Given what they have done I would assume that they want to keep the European business as it is profitable. If there are problems with BREXIT then Eldiss should be safe in the short term as producing here would avoid the tariffs we would impose on European imports if they impose them om our exports.
That apart we need to wait and see what happens but Eldiss have not been on my shortlist for some time due to their record in the PC surveys.
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I have a feeling they’ll cherry pick and asset strip. The Americans are big fans of German products but won’t carry problematic businesses.
So we will probably see the demise of Elddis then? My second caravan was an Elddis, very good it was too but never rated their motorhomes.
Thor is a very large group and also produce Airstream caravans!
peedee
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EHG currently has 20% of the total European market, which is expanding. their annual turnover is the eqivalent of what Thor are paying for the business....2+ billion euro.
they have been introducing new, cheaper brands into the portfolio recently, to enable competition at the lower (most rapidly expanding sector) without damaging the top level brands of Hymer, N+B, Laika..
does Elddis now fit? don't know.
the intrudroduction of some Elddis branded PVC models seemed to be the start of a range expansion at the lower level, where UK buyers looking for cheaper PVC offerings would probably look lower than Swift, AT or AS towards AT's sub brand Tribute...
hymer itself has lower priced sub brands, including PVCs, but layout differences between the eldiss offerings and those of Carado etc will be aimed at different customers...
with regard to technology, I don't see anything American getting near the top German brands nor certwinly in what most Europeans think of as 'build quality'....hence the us love affairs with Audi, Mercedes etc.
I hope Elddis makes it through, the U.K. market requirements is definitely different to the General european one, especially in layouts, but Conti brands are making inroads in two ways....by changing customer requiremnts moving more towards continental layouts and the provision of uk type layouts for our market but at extremely competitive prices and terrific build qualify....
just look at the amazing success of the likes of Benimar (limitless layouts, great price and spec) and Mobilvetta (fantastic design and quality at a competitive price)
this is where Elddis needs to be.....
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just look at the amazing success of the likes of Benimar (limitless layouts, great price and spec) and Mobilvetta (fantastic design and quality at a competitive price)
this is where Elddis needs to be....
BB, please don't ever apply for a job with Elddis if your idea of "limitless layouts" is the Benimar range. I'm looking inside the front cover of this months MMM magazine and the entire range seems to have either or both of a stupid fixed table blocking fore & aft movement in the van or awkward & uncomfortable full/half dinettes....
All of that may be your idea of motorhoming heaven but it certainly isn't mine.
Funnily enough the new Elddis 194 is currently top of my potential shopping list for a new M/H should we ever replace ours.....
I like Elddis, you get exactly the same Sevel base vehicle and Truma/Whale/Dometic fixings as any other M/H plus a decent 10 year ingress warranty all at sensible prices.......
And I know they're sneered at by those wealthy folk who want to spend £20k more on a van just to get some posh cupboards, but I prefer to not spend all my cash on a van, sometimes for example the OH insists on a "proper" holiday, you know, breakfast at home, lunch on the aircraft, dinner overlooking the Med in a decent hotel, something we couldn't do from the frozen, unemployed wastelands of the North of England in a M/H......
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I'm not a huge fan of tthe Benimar product myself, merely pointing out that they had large range 20 or so layouts including rear lounges, rear beds (different types) front lounges etc...ok, they might not have a parallel front lounge layout and perhaps this may be addresses with Marquis' input...
the 194 looks like a good layout...not unlike our previous van....
its funny, we came from a parallel lounge van and wondered about moving to a fixed table one....but my view has changed, I wouldn't be without it now....it moves from side to side, fore and aft and doesn't impact on movement, certainly when only two in the van.
its always there for dining, reading, writing, using a computer etc.
we both like it, but not for everyone....although actually using one has given me both perspectives.
our half dinnete is not uncomfortable as we sit in the cab seats, which are fully supportive and swivel or recline as desired.....and we can put feet up too....
i find low backed side sofas unsupportive by comparison, but just a personal choice..
we also like 'holidays' (we don't consider our van trips to be holidays) and have had a couple this year....earlier to France and came back last week from Rhodes....somewhere we hadn't been for 40 years....
we did nothing, except enjoy the weather, the food, the beverages and the hospitality of a wonderful hotel...
yes, it's good to be able to do different things....I hope things look up re employment and climate 'in the North'
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