With solar panels, integrated tech, and sleeping space for two Drive the streets of Portland, Denver, or the highways of the Rocky Mountains and count the most popular campers on the road: You?ll find an overwhelming number of Mercedes Sprinters, Ford Transits, and other Class B camper vans. But while in some parts of the country the adventure van reigns king, the Class B market is still a tiny portion of the overall RV industry.

That?s beginning to change, however, both with more all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive camper vans on the road and a focus on compact trailers. Last month, Curbed went to the new RV industry trade show in Salt Lake City and despite the sea of giant Class As and toy haulers, there were signs that modestly sized Class Bs are posed for a takeover. Thor Industries is the world?s largest RV manufacturer?the company acquired Germany?s Erwin Hymer Group earlier this year?producing roughly half of all new RV units every year. It owns 17 different RV brands, including Airstream, and its size means that while people may not recognize the Thor name, they usually recognize the company?s brands.
In an interview with Curbed at RVX, president and CEO Bob Martin said that Thor knows that the industry is changing. ?We see the average age of consumers coming down drastically in all brands,? Martin says. ?We?ve marketed to Baby Boomers in the past, and we recognize that the average age is diving.?
For the first time in 30 years, Thor Industries revamped...