In Italy too, 2020 was confirmed as a positive year for the motorhome sector. In fact, registrations increased by 7.44 percent, reaching 6,545 vehicles. Despite the spring block, production also recorded a positive sign (+1%), with over 20,000 units produced, 80 percent of which were destined for export. “We are extremely satisfied with this result, which testifies to the success of the motorhome as an ideal means of enjoying free time,” said Simone Niccolai, president of the Caravan and Camper Manufacturers Association (APC).
The motorhome has proved to be the ideal vehicle for holidays and leisure even during the pandemic, allowing you to go on holiday in a sort of “health bubble”. In fact, on these vehicles you can travel in complete safety, having everything you need at your disposal – bathroom, kitchen, living room and bedroom – without having to share it with strangers.
“The registrations data tell us that we were able to recover the significant decline in registrations, suffered during the months of the spring lockdown and – even – to increase the total number of annual registrations compared to the previous year“, continues Simone Niccolai. “In particular, an excellent trend emerges in the registrations of vans, small and manageable, almost a second car”.
The Italian production sector – which is concentrated in the so-called Tuscan “motorhome valley”, between the provinces of Siena and Florence – employs 7,000 direct and indirect employees. In the last four months, companies have hired several hundred new workers to increase production and thus be able to meet the increase in demand, mainly from abroad. The sector directly invoices more than 900 million euros, in addition to fueling an important turnover for the suppliers of the supply chain, most of which are Italian.
The outlook for 2021 looks positive. President Niccolai: “Our indicators tell us that demand will remain high and not only for health safety reasons related to the pandemic, but also because the camper is becoming a ‘trendy’ lifestyle. Dealers are pre-ordering at sustained levels so that RVs are available for sale to end customers. We are therefore very confident in the sales trend for 2021. And we are pleased and proud to be able to further increase the number of jobs and thus create added value for the territory and for our country.”
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