Family-Led Tiffin Motorhomes Concludes 2025 Dealer Meeting – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
With a host of new products and new programs, Tiffin Motorhomes concluded its 2025 Dealer Meeting last week at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.
With this being the first dealer meeting since 2018 for the Red Bay, Ala.-based subsidiary of THOR Industries, there was also a sense of the event being a family reunion. Indeed, the theme was “From Our Family to Yours” – something President Leigh Tiffin said was an important message to pass along.
“I think we really got the point across that it’s still a family-led business. That we’re still as passionate about it as we’ve ever been because our name is on the coach, and we carry that name with pride. Even though THOR Industries may have purchased the company five years ago, we still treat it like it’s our own,” Tiffin said.
Other highlights from the dealer meeting included a panel discussion with CEO & Founder Bob Tiffin and THOR President & CEO Bob Martin. Bob Tiffin remained on stage for a second panel discussion with Leigh Tiffin and Trent Tiffin, the company’s vice president of sales. Both panels were moderated by Baylee Tiffin, Leigh Tiffin’s wife.
Also, CNBC economic analyst and commentator Ron Insana delivered a keynote presentation that painted a troublesome picture of the nation’s economy.
Tiffin’s 2026 motorized lineup – 33 Tiffin-branded Class A, Super C, Class C and Class B units were on display – included the Class B debuts of the GT1 Touring Van and GH2 Adventure Van as well as the Open Trail Class C Adventure Van, which was built in partnership with Owl Vans, a nationwide upfitter of Class B motorhomes.
While there were numerous updates across the lineup, other highlights included new front and rear caps and a new floorplan in the Open Road Allegro and the new PowerDrive platform from Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. on the Allegro Bus and Zephyr.
Trent Tiffin, the OEM’s vice president of sales, said the company “got creative in a lot of ways with our concept vehicles and just refining our C and B products.” He acknowledged the trend of buyers preferring smaller motorhomes – which is why the OEM is all-in on Class B and C units – but said the Class market is “holding its own.”
“I mean, it may not be as big as it once was, but we’re still selling what we need to sell,” Trent Tiffin said. “We feel good. The product is looking really great, especially with the Allegro Bus and the Zephyr, the rear axle and Freightliner and PowerGlide. It’s super easy to drive the coach now. Even the Open Road’s got a new facelift and it looks awesome – something that it needed for a long time – but we still feel very confident about our Class A market.”
In addition to product, another update going forward is the adoption of Configure Price Quote (CPQ) and Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP). CPQ refers to electronic ordering, and one of the benefits is a sales person in the field can get a price quote within minutes. It also “streamlines and simplifies” the ordering process, Leigh Tiffin added.
“As you know, especially with our larger, more complex motorhomes, there’s a lot of options, a lot of choices,” he explained. “This eliminates that confusion and the ability for a mistake. Then it seamlessly integrates the back and forth with the dealer so they can confirm the accuracy of the order. Then, boom, it goes right into our system. So, a big leap forward for us and becoming easier to do business with.”
The switch to MAP – Tiffin has always allowed only MSRP advertising – allows dealers to be more competitive in today’s market, Leigh Tiffin said.
“Is that a forever thing? We’ll see. I doubt it,” he said. “I think the reality is our luxury diesels will probably end up back at MSRP someday, but for now, in this market, we want to allow our dealers the ability to compete because Tiffin has done such a great job managing our inventory profile in the field against some of our competitors who, frankly, have overbuilt. When you look at ’23, ’24 product compared to our current model year product, there’s going to be a big price discrepancy if we don’t allow our dealers to market a more competitive price.”
Better Times Ahead
Despite what has been a difficult three or so years for the RV industry – especially for Class A motorhomes – Leigh Tiffin said he believes the worst of it is just about in the rear-view mirror and he’s excited for the coming years.
“I think, as you look down the road for the next five years, we’re way closer to the end than we are the beginning of this. I think we’re going to begin to climb back to the next peak soon enough,” he said. “There’s some things we can’t control right now. There’s some political dynamics and some trade dynamics out there that are creating some uncertainty, but that’ll blow over at some point. It won’t last forever.
“We’re always bullish on America. We’re bullish on the RV industry,” Tiffin continued. “I think there is a lot of talk around the lifestyle today and how this is an experiential lifestyle, and the younger demographic is more interested in experiences maybe than even products. So, how do we really sell the lifestyle and the experience that the Tiffin brand provides our customers?”
He noted that one of the benefits of the pandemic was the influx of younger buyers into the lifestyle. That younger demographic is ready to “climb the ladder” and step up into a motorhome, he said.
“As more equity is built in currently owned vehicles, the trade cycle will eventually come around. I think that starts as soon as next year when we’ll really start to see a difference,” Tiffin said.
He mentioned that typically a favorite topic of discussion whenever the RV industry gathers is the “good old days”, but the “reality is we all learn more in the tough times than the good times.”
“Right now, our business is tough because we got too many motorhomes chasing too few customers,” Tiffin said. “That’s just what it boils down to. You can look at it any way you want, but that’s what it is.
“As the market improves and more buyers enter the funnel, we’ll all feel the pressure relief valve,” he continued. “I think maybe in certain categories and certain markets, maybe there will be some natural clearing of the system, and we won’t have as many dealers at some point. I don’t know. We’ll see, but I think there’s lots of brands and lots of products and lots of dealers. It’s a very competitive environment, and at some point, that pressure will force its way through the system. Those who make it through historically have been the ones who build a great quality product, bring something to market that’s very desirable, and they do it through a phenomenal dealer channel. I think at Tiffin we check all three of those boxes, and that’s what we’ve been known for.”
