Warning bells for local caravan builders

Will RV imports overtake locally-built caravan and motorhome numbers, for the first time ever in 2025?

That's the question on industry pundits' lips, as Australian RV production continues to drop from pandemic highs, while imported caravan and hybrid camper numbers are increasing.

According to Caravan Industry Association of Australia figures, Australian RV production is down around 10 per cent so far this year, with 5392 units built in the first three months of 2025.

This follows from a reported 25,185 RV units produced in Australia in 2024 -- another 20 per cent drop from the previous year. During the pandemic peak of 2022-23, the CIAA reported a surge in annual local RV production to 31,289 units -- around 50 per cent more than the 22,711 units produced in 2015.

While there were 6337 fewer towable RVs manufactured locally in 2024 compared to the previous year, the CIAA said caravan and camper trailer imports were up year-on-year by five per cent, to 19,993 units.

In more alarming news for local caravan manufacturers, the average weight of an imported RV has grown to around two tonnes and the average unit price risen to a record $27,494 - suggesting more of these mostly Chinese-built trailers were larger hybrids or full-size caravans, as opposed to lighter and cheaper tent trailers more common a few years ago.

This is backed up by official figures from big-selling imported brand Snowy River, which offers a large range of full-height touring and off-road caravan models in Australia and delivered 2694 units locally in 2023 -- up from 1330 RVs in 2021.

Whether they're locally built or imported, towable units remain the preferred choice of Aussie RV buyers. Non-motorised RVs accounted for 94% of local RV production in 2024 according to the CIAA, despite a slight rise in the number of motorised RVs produced.

More than 50 percent of caravans built locally are bigger 6.0m-plus long models, while the majority of the 1507 motorised RVs built in 2024 were C-Class motorhomes from seven to nine metres long.

Not surprisingly the COVID caravan boom also saw a big surge in the number of registered RVs on Australian roads, with an increase of around 200,000 over the past five years to more than 900,000 RV registrations currently across Australia.

Unlike the auto and truck industries, there are no official sales figures reported for the Australian RV market. However, Caravan Industry Victoria CEO Daniel Sahlberg recently told the Herald Sun that local caravan sales have dropped right off, as a number of factors including higher prices, a flooded second-hand market and changing travel preferences help put the brakes on new RV spending.

"Our intel of the industry tells us that sales are down closer to 30 to 40 per cent," he said.

"Victoria gets hit the hardest - sales are down everywhere - but Victoria feels it the most as 93 per cent of caravans are made here."

Despite the warning bells for local manufacturers and dealers -- some of which have been heavily discounting excess stock as part of EOFY sales -- the CIAA remains optimistic, telling its 80-plus manufacturer members that local RV production remains 20 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.

"Looking ahead, I’m confident in our industry’s ability to continue evolving despite economic uncertainties," CIAA CEO Stuart Lamont said in the 2025 Caravan and Camping State of Industry report -- a 68-page annual snapshot of the industry released at the CIAA national conference last month.