Brinkley RV Unveils First ‘Model Z’ Fifth-Wheel Prototype
The Brinkley RV Model Z luxury mid-profile fifth-wheel. (Photos” Shawn Spence/RVBusiness)
Micah Staley engaes with dealer attendees as they wait their turn to review the Model Z fifth-wheel.
New RV builder Brinkley RV showed its first prototype – an upscale “Model Z” fifth-wheel – at last night’s (Sept. 25) reception on the eve of the 2023 Elkhart RV Open House. The reception took place at a leased Goshen, Ind., facility not far from the expansive 252-acre complex the fledgling RV manufacturer is building on the south side of Goshen near the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds.
Spearheading the new company, as mentioned in a corporate release on Friday, are five equal partners, including Ron and Bill Fenech, both former THOR Industries Inc. executives who later played key roles in launching Grand Design RV and, on Bill Fenech’s part, Barletta Boat Co. LLC. Also familiar within the RV sector due to their previous tenure at high profile firms like Dutchmen and Grand Design are operating partners Ryan Thwaits, Micah Staley and Nate Goldenberg – all of whom helped introduce the “Model Z,” a clean-looking, mid-profile fifth-wheel set to retail for about $100,000 when it goes into production at Brinkley’s temporary Goshen quarters in November.
“Well, this was our first showing of our first fifth-wheel,” Brinkley President Ron Fenech told RVBusiness last night. “We invited about 100, 120 of our new and old dealer friends and a large number of our suppliers and our employees. And it was just a party – an Open House start-up party – where we’ve launched both the company and its first product. As much as anything, it was just a chance to get together with old friends — vendor friends and dealer friends. We’ve been doing this a long time for several different companies and, frankly, we’re so excited. I mean, the last six months have been so much fun up to this point and, in looking around the room and seeing it finally unfold, was wonderful for us. I’m just so happy for Micah and Nate and Ryan and what this means to them. It’s been wonderful working with them. We feel like we have a real exciting future for our dealers, and this is the start of it.”
Among those in attendance was LCI Industries Inc. President & CEO Jason Lippert,, left, and Loren Baidas, center, president of General RV Center.
At the same time, Brinkley, which has also been operating out of temporary New Paris, Ind., quarters, is currently forging ahead with construction of three 175,000-square-foot manufacturing plants. “All the exterior steel on plant No. 1 has been put up,” Thwaits told RVBusiness. “We’re starting to side and insulate and we’re planning on being fully enclosed here in the next couple of weeks and operational in the middle of January.”
Equally noteworthy, we’re told, is the fact that much of Brinkley’s dealer body – currently consisting of 130 stores owned by 50 dealerships including both larger dealer groups and independents – is mostly in place. “We didn’t go to each market and look at who the biggest dealer was,” said Thwaits, whose new company isn’t exhibiting at the Open House due to its early developmental status and the fact that production won’t get underway in earnest for at least a couple of months. “I think we looked at the ones who fit our culture and what we want to do at Brinkley, and that’s put resources into service and customer care. Those are the dealers we’ve selected.”
Meanwhile, Brinkley’s 45 current workers are largely focused on Model Z, which features the three-quarter-ton towability of a mid-profile line along with some of the luxury aspects of an upscale full-profile towable in a unit about which plenty of details are still in the works. “Coastal Farmhouse” interiors feature taller ceilings, upgraded flooring, brass fittings, a 54-inch entry handrail, adjustable pantry drawers, a spice rack built into a galley drawer plus an articulating ottoman.
Although specifics are still sparse, current plans call for the Model Z to be in the mid-30-foot range in terms of length with a GVWR of around 14,000 pounds and a retail price tag in the high $90,000s, Staley told RVBusiness in a private viewing last week, noting that retail show attendees may see it on display by January.
“Over the past year-and-a-half, we’ve been on the sidelines, and we’ve seen pricing soar from a wholesale standpoint,” explained Staley, who took the prototype on a month-long trip with his family earlier this year to get a feel for what might appeal to today’s consumers. “We originally were going to do a high-profile product first, a high-end fifth-wheel. And then as we saw pricing continue to rise, we said, ‘Hey, we could really take advantage of this pricing and build something on a mid-profile platform but make it a higher-end unit.’”
The rear living/kitchen/dining area of the Brinkley RV Model Z.
Next comes a “Model G” toy hauler and, down the road, maybe motorized RV’s. “Frankly, I think motorized would make a lot of sense for us,” maintained Goldenberg, “but towables are where we shine. That’s what we do, and it’s been our forte.”
Otherwise, Staley said Brinkley’s philosophical approach should set it apart from its competitors. “Every decision we make is based on the customer,” he noted. “And our goal is to have the most customer-focused, user-friendly fifth-wheel in the marketplace.”
Goldenberg also wants to see Brinkley take a genuinely supportive approach with its dealers. “And a big part of that is supporting them (dealers) on the back end like they need to be supported,” he said. “And I think in a lot of ways they feel like that’s an underserved area with a lot of opportunity to improve. So, at the ground level, we’re making sure that the whole company can execute at a very high level for customers on the back end.
“Yes,” he added, “every manufacturer says they’re focused on customer service, but dealers feel there’s still room for improvement. So, while we work in a great industry, we’re convinced that we can help raise the bar.”
Source: https://rvbusiness.com/brinkley-rv-unveils-first-model-z-fifth-wheel-prototype/
