American Beauties In Louisville

Niall Hampton visits America’s leading RV show to see which of the latest developments in motorhome technology could be adapted for use in Europe.

Last November, the US RV industry gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, for its annual trade show. Taking place at the Kentucky Exposition Center, the Recreational Vehicle Industry of America national show is the Stateside equivalent of the events held in the NEC and Düsseldorf. Unlike the British and German extravaganzas, though, the Louisville show isn’t open to the public. Instead, it’s where RV manufacturers and their suppliers come together to showcase their wares to dealers and distributors across North America and beyond.

Practical Motorhome was delighted to be able to attend the RVIA show, now in its 54th year and thriving – the US motorhome market has enjoyed several consecutive years of growth to reach sales of approaching 50,000 units a year (that’s around five times the size of the UK market). Once again, we were guests of the UK’s leading leisure vehicle accessories manufacturer, Milenco, which operates in most major markets across the globe.

For many Brits, American RVs are objects of bewilderment, perceived as unnecessarily large and expensive-torun vehicles that aren’t an ideal fit for the comparatively narrow and winding roads of old Europe. Although American motorhome types might fall into broadly similar categories to ours (see panel, right) there are of course differences regarding base vehicles, equipment specification and the interior look and feel. That’s why a visit to Louisville is instructive for anyone keen to spot some new trends that could be coming our way – and Practical Motorhome spotted a few faces from leading European manufacturers and dealerships during our visit.

Keeping up appearances