New less expensive Airstream

[BAB]

I suspect there will be significant development work from the prototype to the first one out of the plant at JC. From what I've read about the process thus far, there was a fair amount of pushback to what as a $35K price point. Since Airstream will "dump" the original holding tank toilet (no pun intended) for one with a black tank that will have a price impact. Hanging a bunch of tanks under it would look awful and interfere with its great clearance design (and 16" wheels/tires). Intuition tells me there are people out there who don't want an SOB with "wood-like" interiors that dissolve with a trickle of water dripping through a rubber membraned roof. And, that'll last for more than a few years before falling apart. Price point is going to be a huge factor. But, I also believe that this has the potential to widen Airstream's market. It also gives their dealers an entry level trailer to the Airstream market that they don't have now and which is significantly different than anything else that they have on their lots. At one point, Johans was pointed toward customizing the top half to the color of your tow vehicle. Can you imagine Airstream EVER being that flexible?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by PKI

Wife says "Boy that is ugly!" My work is done here. Mic drop. Pat

All you have to do is convince her that, like an English Bulldog, it's "so ugly it's cute."

[timhortons]

This product exists for the same reason the CCD International trailers existed. The core boomer demographic in the RV marketplace is in danger of die-off and as stated here the price direct and indirect of a large full size new Airstream trailer is out of this world. Full size airstream + Full size truck is out = out of reach for aspirational buyers.

The modern laminate wilsonart interiors, in bambi and mid size, bought them 15 years of relevance when they offered a non colonial williamsburg interior, but now they're reaching the limit of what they can do with rebranding(swiss army, eddie bauer,pendleton(free blankets and toaster) and moving the furniture around. Meanwhile the base model MSRP has crept over $45kUSD.

Airstream *needs* an entry product at this price range for the long-weekender crowd with a regular SUV, 6 cylinder car. Regular, interested people in their 20s,30s and 40s come here and get turned away because they're told they need to spend 100k on a heavy duty tow vehicle and airstream, or go enroll in trade school to acquire the skills to fix an old one up to the point it won't tear in half on the highway.

[HiHoAgRV]

Am I correct that none of the current fiberglass 'eggs' have a dealer network? Would that be an incentive to buy a 'Airstream Nest' over one of the other offerings?

[Northerngirl]

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

Am I correct that none of the current fiberglass 'eggs' have a dealer network? Would that be an incentive to buy a 'Airstream Nest' over one of the other offerings?

Bigfoot uses dealers.

[wbrisett]

[QUOTE=HiHoAgRV;1792384]Am I correct that none of the current fiberglass 'eggs' have a dealer network?/QUOTE]

There was just a story in Trailer Life this year about fiberglass trailers. There were one or maybe two that had dealer networks, but most built them when you ordered them. I'm fairly close to the Casita factory, which is why we see so many of them around here, but I haven't come across too many other brands myself in our travels. So, maybe having a dealers would help. I do know they try to keep costs down by not having dealer networks.

-Wayne

[tevake]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

"I wish they made them Bigger"!

This statement encompasses everything about the "Baby Boomer" generation. Cars, houses, trailers and RV's as "Bigger is Better"!

Look at the real world TODAY.

Smaller homes with small lots, smaller cars, bigger trucks, smaller RV trailers and smaller motorhomes. Condominium developments, cluster homes and massive apartment complexes. That's what is being built and sold today. The younger people today do not want a 4,000 square foot home on a 1 acre plus lot, a large car or large truck for that matter. The RV industry continues to downsize their offerings with better build quality and better design. The "Mantra" of the Boomer's has been "Bigger is Better". Now as the "Boomers" are OLD & they too are downsizing and looking to get rid of all their "junque", big cars, big homes and ultimately big RV's which will include AIRSTREAMS!

Who is going to buy all this "Baby Boomer" JUNQUE????

The younger people today don't want their parents cast off stuff. The younger people are not old enough YET to get on the nostalgia kick and collect the junque their parents cherished and I'm not so sure they ever will!

Want to see something depressing? Go to a local "Estate Auction" and see how little money a person's life accumulations of STUFF actually sells for. In most situations the only item of real value is their real estate if they have any!

With company funded pension funds GONE the way of the Model T (OUT), social security an "oxymoron" and younger people's retirement funding now fully dependent upon themselves for funding will the majority of young people be able to retire at all in old age? Many may be struggling the make living much less be able to enjoy or want to enjoy the "Airstream" lifestyle in retirement.

The folks here on this board fully understand the "I wish they made them Bigger" statement. We (Boomer's) are no longer the "Future" and many NOW consider us the "Past". Very few SUCCESSFUL companies build products directed for sale to folks living in the past.

Looks to me like AS is FINALLY moving into the FUTURE!!!

Definition of "Junque" = Fancy name for JUNK which is old or discarded articles that are considered useless or of little value.

These are timely, insightfull, philosophical comments here.
Which I find myself in agreement with.
And in that spirit I'd like to volunteer to tow away any clutter of "junk ". vintage race cars that may be clogging your space. Running well tuned sports cars preferred.
In an effort to help you into this modern new world of simple basic living.

Cheers Richard

[Gene]

The dealer network being glad to have an "entry level" trailer may not be all that helpful to selling these. Most dealers sell a variety of brands and many are "entry level" in terms of price compared to Airstream. Some or all of those brands may be Thor brands sort of competing with the Nest.

And is $35,000 entry level? You can buy a Class C for less than that and need no medium size truck or SUV.

If the Nest (or other Thor brands) are as poorly made as some Airstreams and other Thor brands, why would people want to eventually spend even more on an Airstream? Isn't Airstream's business based on decades old reputation for a well built trailer from the Wally era plus an iconic design? So, if customers buy a Nest expecting a premium product and it has the same sort of workmanship and poor materials issues Airstreams have had for decades, why would they buy an Airstream later? GM's business used to be dependent on people starting with a Chevy and then a Pontiac, Olds, Buick and if they really made it, a Cadillac. That strategy worked only so long as Chevies, etc., were good cars. It took decades of bad cars before GM failed, but the strategy worked for a long time. I guess Thor's execs hope to ride the same thing and collect their big money before the bottom falls out someday.

So, the entry level argument may eventually sell some Airstreams, but probably not too many.

About 7 years ago I suggested to an Airstream exec that Pendleton designs go well with the Art Deco look of Airstreams. He said he'd pass it on. Either he didn't, or he did and it took years to follow through. So far, I haven't received a thank you or the Pendleton designed trailer they should gift me.

Gene

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Gene

...before the bottom falls out someday.

See, that's particularly funny since Airstreams have always had a problem with floor rot.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Airstream could learn from Henry Ford. Change the way they build them. Pay their employees twice as much, crank out ten times more, sell them for less than half of today's price, totally interchangeable parts equals better quality. Last time, [only time] I took the Airstream tour, the production line looked so un-organized. On that same trip, I toured Ford and Toyota assembly plants. Even the Amish Carriage factory was more organized than Airstream.

[m.hony]

What he said^.

[Northerngirl]

[QUOTE=wbrisett;1792433]

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

Am I correct that none of the current fiberglass 'eggs' have a dealer network?/QUOTE]

So, maybe having a dealers would help. I do know they try to keep costs down by not having dealer networks.

-Wayne

I think you will find the most successful fibreglass trailer builders have no problems keeping their production line very busy with most having a wait time for their trailers. Escape trailers for example have increased the size of their plant a number of times in the last 10 years as well as the number of staff. They are back ordered until the summer of 2017 currently - that is even after they stopped late last year in taking new orders for a number of months.

They also ship their trailers all over NA for those who do not want to take the drive up to collect the trailer .... but many people do. Escape BTW was the one brand of fibreglass trailer I saw the most of camping out on BML lands one winter in Arizona and California.

Escape did sell through a dealer in their early years but per their website "In 2006 we tried selling through a dealer network, but struggled with the lack of interaction with our customers. It did not allow us to follow our business model."

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by Gene

......And is $35,000 entry level? You can buy a Class C for less than that and need no medium size truck or SUV......

Gene

This has been my problem with the Nest. I suspect by the time they hit the dealers they may be even pricier that the $35k mentioned in several places. Already talk is they are going to add tanks and other stuff, price has to reflect those things.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the Nest, it's just not for us (boomers, we need the extra room, as others have commented).

It's just that the price point was not at all what I expected. When I saw "less expensive", my mind considered that statement as "substantially less expensive". Say $20 to $25k. Let's face it, $35,000 is not a whole lot less than a Bambi. Especially if you buy a used one that's a couple years old. And the Bambi's are nicer campers, IMO.

Jim

[OTRA15]

Hopefully Airstream is projecting to build more units per year than the original mfg., and will be able to lower the unit cost significantly. If a new assembly line is set up per earlier comments, with molded bodies ready to go, a basic model could come in much lower than the $35k.

The first year could also be considered a loss leader with profit margins reserved for later years.

The last thing Thor needs is another Base Camp fiasco.

TBD

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Hopefully Airstream is projecting to build more units per year than the original mfg., and will be able to lower the unit cost significantly. If a new assembly line is set up per earlier comments, with molded bodies ready to go, a basic model could come in much lower than the $35k.

The first year could also be considered a loss leader with profit margins reserved for later years.

The last thing Thor needs is another Base Camp fiasco.

TBD

Respectfully, I just don't see it. Airstream projects itself as a premium product and doesn't seem to mind high price points. (Total agreement on the Basecamp fiasco, BTW).

The Nest, I think, is aimed at the "wine and cheese" crowd. Nothing wrong with that. But the "less expensive" part of the conversation would look more a Camplite

The Camplite, IMO, aims at the less expensive, young folks crowd. That's part of the equation here, right? It's very well made. Inexpensive, lightweight and is already owned by Thor. Take a look at their website. Several of their models are directly marketed to young people.

To be certain, neither of these lines are "Airstreams". A few design changes can ameliorate some of that.

If you want to draw in young folks, make it cheaper, make it better.

Just my 2 cents.

Jim

[Sbb]

My daughter, married with two children would be interested, hope the design has enough room to sleep four. With sports and dance activites all over the place, a Nest is the perfect weekend home base.

[FCStreamer]

Airstream is a premium brand of RVs. I doubt these will be cheap.

[Piggy Bank]

I have a couple of thoughts here.

As someone who owns one of the smaller Airstreams (22 Sport), we would have bought a 16 Bambi if they made a model nicer than the Sport. The older versions like CCD and DWR with the full back windows and larger overhead storage were quite different than the current 16 Sport, even if the view you see looking at the floor plan is the same.

That brings me to my next point-which is the line of sight feel inside a unit.

In my opinion, Airstream does a terrible job of marketing their product to show the true feeling of being in one.

Any car manufacturer, and most SOB trailer and B and C manufacturer websites will give you a 360 degree interior view and full exterior views, and elevation drawings of their product. Airstream only has a floorpan. I would like to see some computer animation files. Come into the now Airstream!

And if they want to attract younger buyers who are into experiences, they need to make it easy for those buyers to "show off" their experiences with a great website that links to media outlets and lets people lust after the dream a little bit. And quit with the full information request before you let someone even download your brochure. I feel they should do as much as possible to be all over social media like FB, Pinterest, blogs, etc.

[Rocinante]

Regarding showing off owner experiences, Airstream has recently dipped a toe into that space. It's wildly insufficient, but an interesting idea if they grow it up a bit: http://name.airstream.com/caravan

I fully admit it's a marketing effort mostly aimed at improving their existing mailing list, but if they bend it, stretch it and think a bit more creatively, it could become something interesting to both current and prospective owners.

[switz]

There is an old program saying, "lower your expectations to zero and you will not be disappointed".

Since our comments obviously have zero impact on Airtream's manufacturing and quality control processes, I could decide to be part of the solution or live in the problem. So I fixed all my issues using a competent repair facility and it was not cheap. I am living in the solution for me.

The younger generations seem to lack the experience to know both what is wrong and a way to fix it. Not too many shop classes in high school anymore.

So this Nest plastic shell will still have the same components from the same vendors for appliances, wiring, axles, tires, brakes etc. Access to repair this installed equipment will be important. Putting something substantial between the inner and outer skins for the screws to attach to will be important, but the customer will not see what is back there when a screw pulls out due to improper installation.

The first several hundred buyers will be the QC testers and be paying a hefty premium for that privilege just because a decal says Airstream.

Years ago, Betty Furness said about Westinghouse products on television "the the quality goes in before the name goes on". Sure hope the concept applies here with the Nest product.