Dane Found of RoadtrekEditor’s note: When the ‘Big Three’ RV manufacturers announced in mid-July they would not be participating in Open House Week this year, that effectively cancelled the annual event. But RV PRO still talked to 68 product managers, division heads, marketing directors, and C-level executives to bring you this year’s 2021 model year preview. It’s in the September 2020 issue, and two of the companies featured are covered in today’s eNews.
Roadtrek
Class B motorhomes remain a solid contender for Roadtrek as the manufacturer heads into 2021. Two product rollouts for the new model year include an addition to the company’s Zion lineup and a new, value-priced model.
Dane Found, CEO of Roadtrek, says that the RV maker plans to offer the Zion in a pop-top model. The pop-top option will be available both on the Zion and the Zion SRT models, both of which are built on the Ram ProMaster chassis. Found says the new option comes as a way to address current trends.
“Today, we’re finding many families are looking for alternate ways to travel,” he explains, referring to COVID’s impact on traditional air travel and hotel lodging route many families opt-in on. “The timing is right.”
Roadtrek also has a new model in the works, dubbed the Play, which also will be built on the ProMaster chassis. Also available with or without a pop-top, Found says this set of vans will be a more value-priced line that “has all of the comfort features of a regular Roadtrek.”
He says that the Play is primarily aimed at younger families looking to get into the RVing world at a lower price point but still have basic, comfortable amenities. The Play comes in at the same length as the Zion, at 20 feet, 9 inches, and the standard model sleeps two. With the pop-top option, it sleeps four, and for those interested, there’s also an option to turn the captain’s chair into a single bed.
For the near-term, Found says the Play will come in simply a standard or pop-top version with the potential for other floorplans in the future. The new model doesn’t come with additional options aside from color and pop-top choices and boasting standard features from the Roadtrek lineup. Found points to a second AGM battery and the under-hood generating system as other features of the Play.
With the company’s existing lineup, Found says there are plans to roll out 2021 models of the longer vans.
“Mercedes made some changes to the unit when they brought out the 2019 chassis, so we’ve made some subtle changes to the equipment that we put on the outside like the ground effects,” he says, but that “it will be a few months before we see the first one of that line.”
The bulk of other 2021 changes for Roadtrek include an update to interior options and a new coach control system.
“We’re going to be introducing some lighter interiors across all brands that we deal with including a lighter cabinet option, lighter floors, and countertops, based on customer requests,” says Found. “We’re also offering another interior for sofas and seating.”
Meanwhile, the new control system is a touch panel where everything can be controlled with the option of smartphone connectivity. Found says the updated panels will be an option on all brand lines except for the Play, because of the price point. Initially, the panel will be an optional feature, but he says Roadtrek eventually aims to make it a standard feature.
Along with tech and design upgrades, Found says the company also has developed a new screen door system.
“Our old system had a bunch of snaps and domes that was a little time-consuming,” he says. The new one is “essentially done more with long, magnetic strips, so when you walk through it, it closes behind you and keeps the bugs out.” That refined design, he adds, also makes the setup more user-friendly.
To see Roadtrek’s preview in RV PRO online, click here.
XTREME OUTDOORS
Xtreme Outdoors is excited about two new products it is introducing for the 2021 model year.
The first is the newest addition to its Little Guy line of teardrop trailers: The Little Guy Micro Max.
This is the third in the “Max” line of Little Guy trailers. As the name indicates, the Micro Max is the smallest of the three – but it’s big on amenities, according to Joe Kicos, director of sales for Xtreme Outdoors. (RV industry professionals likely recognize Kicos as the founder of the Little Guy brand some two decades ago.)
The Micro Max, which is expected to be released in the fourth quarter, is 16 feet, 3 inches long, 6 foot, 6 inches high and 79 inches wide.
The trailer has a large amount of counter space on the inside, wrapping nearly halfway around the interior. It features a deep sink, a two-burner stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a cassette toilet cleverly hidden under a countertop.
Features include a dinette area that converts easily into a sleeping area, with storage; hardwood cabinetry with dovetail construction in the galley area; a wall-mounted flat-screen TV; privacy screens on the windows; a charging station offering 12-volt and 110 power options; and a system monitor that controls the water pump, lights and gas.
“We’re very, very excited about it because it’s smaller, it’s lighter, it’s garage-able, and the floorplan on it is something that we’re extremely excited about,” Kicos says. “We feel it’s going to be very attractive to the Millennial demographic.”
He estimates the gross weight at somewhere in the 1,500- to 1,700-pound range.
Also new in 2021 for Xtreme Outdoors is the MyPod 2.0, an updated version of its popular MyPod trailers. The original line was discontinued when the company lost its fiberglass supplier, Kicos says, but the RV maker has found a new supplier and now the company is bringing a new version of the MyPod back.
The MyPod is well-suited for outdoor adventurers who don’t have the means to tow a large trailer but still want to take some of the creature comforts with them when they head out to camp. The molded fiberglass body sits on a sturdy frame that weighs less than 600 pounds.
It comes with a full-size sleeping area; installed air conditioning; 12-volt and 110 power; an entertainment center; window shades; and what the company calls a three-speed “fantastic fan.”
The MyPod 2.0 is going into production in early fall, according to Kicos.
Aside from new products, this was the company’s first full year under the company’s new ownership. Kicos says it has been a smooth transition, and the new ownership has made substantial investments into the back end of the business, streamlining oper- ations, implementing new quality control protocols, and, because of the pandemic, tweaking the company’s strategies somewhat to better fit the changing business climate.
“Because of what’s going on in the environment, with shows being cancelled and COVID protocols being put in place, we are spending a lot on the back end on our dealer support, and that’s going to be big for us this coming year,” Kicos says, adding that Xtreme is making significant investments in its ability to interact with its dealers on a more virtual level.
To see Xtreme Outdoors’ preview in RV PRO online, click here.
Previously:
See the TAXA Outdoors and the Vanleigh RV previews here
See the Alliance RV and Nexus previews here
See the nuCamp and Leisure Travel Vans previews here
