Tiffin Sales Figures Are In

[Cruzer]

Statistical Surveys, the people who tally up all of the new RV registrations in the country, have now published the results for the first 6 months of the year. From January 2008 through June 2008 the following data was comiled:

The Phaeton is the #1 selling diesel pusher in the country. No big surprise here because it's held that distinction for a while now, but it is now also the #1 selling class A motorhome as well. This means it has eclipsed any and all of the gasoline powered chassis as well.

The Allegro Bus has moved up the ladder and is now the #2 selling diesel pusher.

Also, the Allegro FRED is the #1 selling front engine diesel while the Allegro Bay is the #2 front engined diesel. Seeing as how Tiffin has done a good job of offering the FRED chassis that's to be expected, mainly because other manufacturers just haven't really put any effort into building FREDs or promoting them.

But the Phaeton and Allegro Bus as the top selling diesel pushers is quite an achievement.

Following are the sales numbers of the top 5 pushers. Sorry, that's all the data I have.

Phaeton = 494 units

Allegro Bus = 270 units

Fleetwood Discovery = 254 units

Safari = 184 units

Revolution LE = 152 units

[Cruzer]

Statistical Surveys, the people who tally up all of the new RV registrations in the country, have now published the results for the first 6 months of the year. From January 2008 through June 2008 the following data was comiled:

The Phaeton is the #1 selling diesel pusher in the country. No big surprise here because it's held that distinction for a while now, but it is now also the #1 selling class A motorhome as well. This means it has eclipsed any and all of the gasoline powered chassis as well.

The Allegro Bus has moved up the ladder and is now the #2 selling diesel pusher.

Also, the Allegro FRED is the #1 selling front engine diesel while the Allegro Bay is the #2 front engined diesel. Seeing as how Tiffin has done a good job of offering the FRED chassis that's to be expected, mainly because other manufacturers just haven't really put any effort into building FREDs or promoting them.

But the Phaeton and Allegro Bus as the top selling diesel pushers is quite an achievement.

Following are the sales numbers of the top 5 pushers. Sorry, that's all the data I have.

Phaeton = 494 units

Allegro Bus = 270 units

Fleetwood Discovery = 254 units

Safari = 184 units

Revolution LE = 152 units

[edgray]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Also, the Allegro FRED is the #1 selling front engine diesel while the Allegro Bay is the #2 front engined diesel. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
MARK: thanks for the interesting info. I'm surprised to read that Allegro Freds outnumber the Allegro Bay Freds. Not doubting your numbers, just thought it would be the other way around. We have close friends who bought an 09 Bay FRED today! ED

[historyljc]

Cruzer, thanks for the numbers.

Now to do a little number crunching comparing the top 5 for 2007 from your list posted Feb 4, 2008. For comparison purposes the 10 month figures have been interpolated down to 6 months.

Total sales for 6 months:
2007 2008

Top 5: 1853 1354 Sales down 26.9%

Phaeton: 546 494 Sales down 9.4%
Allergo Bus 328 270 Sales down 17.6%
Discovery 434 254 Sales down 41.6%
4th place 274 184 Sales down 32.8%
5th place 271 152 Sales down 43.9%

Top 5 DP market share (only among the top 5)

2007 2008
Phaeton: 29.4% 36.5%
Allegro Bus: 17.7 19.9
Discovery 23.5 18.1
Safari N/A 13.6
Revolution N/A 11.2

The Revolution moved from 9th into 5th place while their sales dropped 55.6%

Comparatively speaking, Tiffin seems to be doing remarkably well in a very bad market. Think their reputation has anything to do with it?

[Cruzer]

Ed, I too was surprised at the Allegro overtaking the Bay. In my mind the FRED option is a pricey upgrade to an entry level motorhome but in the Allegro Bay it's a no brainer. It just goes to show - my mind isn't working on the same frequency as most buyers.

Jim, that's a good comparison. This June the class A sales were down well over 50% compared to June 2007. Tiffin's "sales down" figures are nowhere near that. When the market rebounds I'd expect Tiffin's sales to really go up. Market share will too but part of that is due to the fact that there will be less players remaining after the downturn is over. Players like Tiffin, Winnebago, and Newmar have no debt hanging over them. They have solid business practices and they'll be around in the long haul. Personally, I think that buyers are looking harder in this economy and they are realizing that Tiffin does offer a lot of bang for the buck. Couple that with their reputation for service and it's fairly easy to see why they are doing well.

[davebuck]

Ed, suprises me too. The Allegro fred is only 300hp and has the smaller Allison transmission that will 0nly tow a combined wieght of 26000lbs, while the Bay has the 350hp engine and the larger Allison that will tow 30000lbs combined wieght. I would have thought most folks would want the extra hp and towing capacity.

[Cruzer]

Exactly! If Tiffin would rip out the Allison 2200 that's in the Allegro and replace it with the Allison 2100 that's in the Bay they could increase their GCWR to a more realistic figure. Also, they would no longer be limited to 300 HP with the heavier Allison 2100.

I've seen a number of Allegro FREDs and I think that the owners really didn't figure out the true towing capacity until after the fact. And you can bet that most salesman wouldn't bring it up.

[historyljc]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">the Allison 2200 that's in the Allegro and replace it with the Allison 2100 that's in the Bay </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I give up, who numbered these things so that the lower number is the more heavy duty transmission. By that method my 3000 should be a better transmission than the 4000 and I know that ain't so.

[Cruzer]

Yeah, that one confused me too at first. I'm guessing that the 2200 is a more "recent" model aimed at cost savings, although not a more "better" model.

[moisheh]

Cruzer:

Sometimes statistics do not tell the whole story. Of course the Phaeton is the # seller and so it should be. No one can sell you that much MH at the Phaeton price. It has become an " Allegro Bus Light". But the list you provided is a little skewed. For instance: Tiffin does not have a lot of brands. Compare that to Monaco with 4 brands and many sub models. Fleetwood also has many brands. I bet that Monaco Corp. sells more DP's than any other mfr. I also wonder if FW outsells Tiffin. Tiffin is as you stated a smaller family owned mfr. But in the real world being the # 1 seller means nothing. Heck, a few years ago Alfa was the #1 selling DP. Mr. Tiffin has built a business formula that sure seems to be working. However the economy had better change or even they will have troubles. The sales figures for the 6 month period do not reflect the fact that the market really started to fall apart in the spring. In May Class A sales fell 58 %. I think the same or worse for June. Tiffin's layoffs are almost at that 58 % mark as are many of the other bigger mfrs. I really dont think we have seen the bottom yet. Mr. Tiffin should worry that the market for big DP's could almost disappear over the next 10 years or less.

[kampingkeith]

When I take people on test drives in the Allegro Bay FRED, many are put off by the louder 340hp engine. This, in addition to the cost, pushes some people to the quieter 300hp.