Byam, who as a young man vowed to make history, did just that as the company was the only one of 400 travel-trailer producers to survive the Great Depression.
Airstream moved into the space age, as NASA used a fleet of Airstream motorhomes to transport astronauts to the launch pad.
Upon their return from the oon, the crews of the missions Apollo 11, 12, and 14 were quarantined until authorities deemed them unlikely to have brought back lunar pathogens.
From the crew's collection aboard an aircraft carrier until their arrival in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston, they were housed in a mobile quarantine facility —which was a modified airtight Airstream trailer.
As of 2022 roughly 3.1 million Americans live full-time in vans, RVs and other motorized transportation converted into homes. More than 11 million Americans own RVs and spend at least some time on the road, a number that’s gone up 62% over the past two decades.
In a challenging economic environment, Thor Industries says it's focused on what it can control: its product line and rerlationships with dealers and retail customers.Thor Industries
Thor CEO cites challenging economic environment
Airstream was struggling in the late 1970s and was acquired by Thor Industries (THO) in 1980.
Thor, Elkhart, Ind., reported fiscal-second-quarter results on March 5. The company swung to a loss and missed Wall Street's expectations.
"As the challenging economic environment persists, our actions remain focused on what we can control: the products that we offer and the relationships that we foster with dealers and retail customers," Bob Martin, president and CEO, said in a statement.
"Our strategic approach continues to emphasize a strong margin profile while focusing on alignment of our production to match the current retail environment," he added.
Martin said this approach would help Thor avoid growth of dealer inventory of the company's products until market conditions improve.
Shares of Thor Industries are down 36% from a year ago and off 15.4% for 2025 to date. At last check the stock was off 15% to $81.
For the quarter ended Jan. 31 Thor posted a loss of a penny a share compared with profit of 13 cents in the year-earlier period. Wall Street analysts were calling for a profit of 5 cents a share. Revenue declined nearly 9% year-over-year to $2.02 billion but exceeded forecasts.
The company also cut its full-year guidance and now sees earnings of $3.30 to $4 a share, compared with its earlier estimate of $4 to $5 a share. Thor expects revenue of $9 billion to $9.5 billion, compared with $9 billion to $9.8 billion previously.
“Despite the challenging market, we have generated strong cash flows through the execution of our proven operating model, favorably positioning Thor to seize upon growth opportunities in both North America and Europe,” Martin said.
North American motorized RV sales tumbled 22% to $446.3 million, which Thor attributed to “a softening in dealer and consumer demand” as well as shifting demand away from higher-priced vehicles and toward discounting.
Sales of North American towable RVs, which are towed by vehicles rather than driven by their own engines. climbed 13% to $828.3 million on a 28% surge in unit shipments.
Half of consumers worried about rising prices
Towable RVs are generally more affordable than motorhomes and are easier to maneuver.
Recent market conditions have been difficult. Inflation has been sharp, consumer confidence is down, and President Donald Trump has slapped a 25% import tax on Canada and Mexico, which in turn retaliated with tariffs on American imports into the countries.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again,” Trump said during an address before Congress, according to the Associated Press. “And it’s happening and it will happen rather quickly. There will be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that.”
Trump on March 5 granted an exemption on auto tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, adding that "the president is giving them an exemption for one month so they’re not at an economic disadvantage."
In the first quarter of 2025 U.S. consumers reported feeling nearly as optimistic as they did at the end of the previous year, according to a study by McKinsey.
However, across income groups and generations, consumers' spending intentions were down across several discretionary categories, the consulting firm said. The report suggested that both optimistic consumers and those who feel uncertain and pessimistic about the economy may hold back on their spending.
Half of consumers said that rising prices were their biggest worry, McKinsey said, with older consumers expressing more concern about inflation than younger ones did.
RV Industry Association President and CEO Craig Kirby said that after seeing wholesale shipments finish 2024 up 7%, “we are cautiously optimistic that the industry will see further growth over the course of the year.”
“Interest rates continue to be a challenge, but there are green shoots for the market, including continued consumer interest in RVing, creating a positive overall retail environment," he said in a statement.
