ELKHART, Ind., Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a highly
anticipated presentation at the 2022 Florida RV SuperShow, THOR
Industries (THO), the world's largest RV manufacturer, proclaimed
"Welcome to the Future" as it unveiled its eMobility strategy
around electrification of the RV industry. At the show, THOR
displayed two electric RV concepts, a motorhome and a travel
trailer. Presented by THOR's leadership team, including Chief
Executive Officer Bob Martin, the
electric units were specifically designed to create a radical
improvement of the RV user experience in an electrified RV
world.
"We've been focused on an electrification 'eMobility' strategy
for a number of years and have made substantial progress on our
journey. Early on, we determined that success for us would not be
to simply put our name on the side of an electric chassis built by
a third-party electric chassis manufacturer. Instead, as the
industry leader, we harnessed emerging technology and co-developed
flexible, scalable and customizable platforms on which our family
of companies will build distinct products, providng a best-in-class
RV user experience," offered Mr. Martin.
The travel trailer concept, named eStream, is built on THOR's
exclusive high-voltage electric chassis. Powered by a propriety
system, the trailer dramatically reduces loss of range for electric
tow vehicles and improves gas mileage for traditional tow vehicles.
The high-voltage chassis distinguishes THOR's design from others in
the space and offers a number of differentiating benefits,
including the ability to charge much faster than low-voltage
alternatives, providing the faster recharging experience electric
vehicle consumers demand. In its partnership with ZF, THOR and its
European subsidiary Erwin Hymer Group, developed the technology
specifically to extend the range of towing for electric
vehicles.
"Our proprietary technology addresses the top concern of
electric vehicle users—range limitation. Studies have established
that electric vehicles experience a significant loss of range even
when towing a small trailer. The technology we co-developed creates
a synchronized relationship between the trailer and the tow
vehicle, enabling the trailer to move in harmony with the tow
vehicle, reducing the pulling effect required from the tow vehicle.
This, in turn, dramatically improves the possible range of the
combination. In essence, we've turned the trailer into an electric
vehicle. The technology is game-changing for our industry and
others," shared Josef Hjelmaker, THOR's Chief Innovation Officer.
"Our technology also provides important features including the
ability to dramatically improve and extend off-grid camping, power
electronics - even your home, operate the trailer from your digital
device and remote-control park the trailer after unhitching the tow
vehicle, all of which have been very well received and applauded by
the RV community. And because our system actively stabilizes the
trailer, the self-propelled wheels and dynamic controls enable a
superior towing experience, improving the safety of our roads."
The motorhome concept, the THOR VISION VEHICLE (TVV), is built
on an electric chassis co-developed with Roush. The TVV motorhome
includes a number of unique elements designed to maximize chassis
performance. Range extending technologies, including integrated
fuel cell components, enable a range of up to 300 miles - well
within the average non-stop travel distance of most RV users.
"Our team has conducted a massive amount of research targeted at
understanding the impact of design elements on extending range,
including aerodynamics of the units. Our strategy to create a
unique electric experience specifically tailored for RV users has
identified a number of product enhancement opportunities that we
can and will implement well before we industrialize the electrified
units," stated Todd Woelfer, THOR's
Chief Operating Officer. "At the Florida RV SuperShow, we are
showcasing two concept units which are only the first outputs from
our defined electric RV strategy. Our command of the technologies
around the electrified RV experience demonstates THOR's commitment
to innovation is an essential part of our growth model and future
success which positions us to maintain our global leadership
position in the industry. Our electric RV concepts are the stars of
the 2022 Florida RV SuperShow and provide a glimpse of the
incredible propriety technology we have developed, but the real
story is THOR's investment and dedication to continue to be the
innovation leader in the RV industry on a global basis."
To join THOR on its electrification journey and learn more about
their industry leading electric RV concepts, visit the THOR
innovation website at www.thorindustries.com/innovation and sign up
for regular innovation updates. There are many more great
advancements and announcements to come!
About THOR Industries, Inc.
THOR Industries is the sole owner of operating companies
which, combined, represent the world's largest manufacturer of
recreational vehicles.
For more information on the Company and its products, please
visit www.thorindustries.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes certain statements that are
"forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking
statements are made based on management's current expectations and
beliefs regarding future and anticipated developments and their
effects upon THOR, and inherently involve uncertainties and risks.
These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future
performance. We cannot assure you that actual results will not
differ materially from our expectations. Factors which could cause
materially different results include, among others: the extent and
impact from the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with
the responses to contain the spread of the virus, or its variants,
by various governmental entities or other actors, which may have
negative effects on retail customer demand, our independent
dealers, our supply chain, our labor force, our production or other
aspects of our business; the ability to ramp production up or down
quickly in response to rapid changes in demand while also managing
costs and market share; the effect of raw material and commodity
price fluctuations, and/or raw material, commodity or chassis
supply constraints; the dependence on a small group of suppliers
for certain components used in production; the level and magnitude
of warranty and recall claims incurred; the ability of our
suppliers to financially support any defects in their products;
legislative, regulatory and tax law and/or policy developments
including their potential impact on our dealers and their retail
customers or on our suppliers; the costs of compliance with
governmental regulation; public perception of and the costs related
to environmental, social and governance matters; legal and
compliance issues including those that may arise in conjunction
with recently completed transactions; lower consumer confidence and
the level of discretionary consumer spending; interest rate
fluctuations and their potential impact on the general economy and,
specifically, on our dealers and consumers; the impact of exchange
rate fluctuations; restrictive lending practices which could
negatively impact our independent dealers and/or retail consumers;
management changes; the success of new and existing products and
services; the ability to maintain strong brands and develop
innovative products that meet consumer demands; the ability to
efficiently utilize existing production facilities; changes in
consumer preferences; the risks associated with acquisitions,
including: the pace and successful closing of an acquisition, the
integration and financial impact thereof, the level of achievement
of anticipated operating synergies from acquisitions, the potential
for unknown or understated liabilities related to acquisitions, the
potential loss of existing customers of acquisitions and our
ability to retain key management personnel of acquired companies; a
shortage of necessary personnel for production and increasing labor
costs to attract production personnel in times of high demand; the
loss or reduction of sales to key dealers; disruption of the
delivery of units to dealers; increasing costs for freight and
transportation; asset impairment charges; competition; the impact
of potential losses under repurchase agreements; the potential
impact of the strength of the U.S. dollar on international demand
for products priced in U.S. dollars; general economic, market and
political conditions in the various countries in which our products
are produced and/or sold; the impact of changing emissions and
other related climate change regulations in the various
jurisdictions in which our products are produced, used and/or sold;
changes to our investment and capital allocation strategies or
other facets of our strategic plan; and changes in market liquidity
conditions, credit ratings and other factors that may impact our
access to future funding and the cost of debt.
These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed more fully
in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
October 31, 2021 and in Item 1A of
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2021.
We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any
updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in
this release or to reflect any change in our expectations after the
date hereof or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on
which any statement is based, except as required by law.
Contacts
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Investor
Relations:
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Media
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Mark Trinske, Vice
President of Investor Relations
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Renee Jones, Head of
Marketing
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mtrinske@thorindustries.com
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rjones@thorindustries.com
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(574)
970-7912
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(574)
294-7772
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SOURCE THOR Industries, Inc.