MangoMike
09-27-2007, 10:28 PM
I found this posted on the RV.net site in the forum:
"Mo, You first made this statement about these Nascar guys some time ago, but this dog don't hunt. First of all, I am a Newell fan, so factor that into my comments below. But I will concentrate on facts, not (unsupportable) opinions and predictions, to make my points.
As of now, months after your first claims, all three of these Nascar drivers you cite are still enjoying their Newells at the racetrack. Plus Montoya is enjoying a brand new 2008 Newell, and has been quoted extensively in the press that he loves his motorhome. The newest guy, Villeneuve, showed up at Las Vegas last week in a Newell, and has operated one on the F1 circuit in Europe for years. In addition, Newell is conquesting more Prevost owners than vice versa, in my opinion because of the many solid, provable product advantages Newell offers, including more power (625 vs. 515), steering tag axles, more interior space, including larger and more slides, updated styling, etc., etc.
The Prevost you buy today is a good product, but it is virtually the same as a 2003 model. Prevost owners wanting something fresh must jump to something else, and it is most often Newell. It is happening every day. (Call Newell for a list of available Prevosts coming in on trade. Then try to find a late-model Newell trade at a conversion company--it will be a much tougher search.)
Another reality check: look at the converters' inventories on-line for new Prevost's available for sale (dozens), and then look at Newell's inventory (one shown, and the factory says it is sold). Also, the prices of both new and late model Prevosts are in the tank, while a year or two year old Newell is bringing very close to what it cost new, if you can find one. The bottom line: Prevost new conversion sales are off perhaps 50% from three or four years ago, with several converters going out of business, while Newell recently increased production again, and is operating at all-time record production rates with virtually no unsold inventory. Newell's sold-order backlog goes out almost a year. You do the math.
Problems? All the new big coaches experience serious problems on occasion. It goes with the territory. I have a good friend who bought a new Prevost XLII converted by one of the best converters, and it leaked very badly. Worse, after multiple attempts, it was still not fixed. Mold was growing and threatening the owners' health. After a couple of years, the customer was threatening to sue, and the converter and Prevost did the right thing. To resolve the problem, they replaced the coach with a brand-new one on highly favorable terms. My point is that everyone in the industry has had some major problems, certainly including Prevost and the leading converters. But that doesn't mean the Prevosts (and Newells) are not good products, because they are. But to cite alleged problems with one in a comparison with the other is a phony argument.
That said, there is a trend going on in the $1 million new coach market right now, and it is Prevost owners switching to Newells. And (opinion here) this will continue unless and until the Prevost management (at parent-company Volvo headquarters in Stockholm, by the way) decides that they cannot continue to ignore the product innovation needs of the conversion shell niche business (250 a year?) just because it is such a small part of the huge bus market (thousands) they have world-wide. The failure of Prevost to offer a 600+ bhp engine for the last three years, basically a simple plug-and-play item, speaks volumes about Prevost's disinterest in updating their conversion shell. Oh, yes, next year they claim to be offering three slide-outs. Over ten years after Newell. Now that's leadership.
Nuf said. "
"Mo, You first made this statement about these Nascar guys some time ago, but this dog don't hunt. First of all, I am a Newell fan, so factor that into my comments below. But I will concentrate on facts, not (unsupportable) opinions and predictions, to make my points.
As of now, months after your first claims, all three of these Nascar drivers you cite are still enjoying their Newells at the racetrack. Plus Montoya is enjoying a brand new 2008 Newell, and has been quoted extensively in the press that he loves his motorhome. The newest guy, Villeneuve, showed up at Las Vegas last week in a Newell, and has operated one on the F1 circuit in Europe for years. In addition, Newell is conquesting more Prevost owners than vice versa, in my opinion because of the many solid, provable product advantages Newell offers, including more power (625 vs. 515), steering tag axles, more interior space, including larger and more slides, updated styling, etc., etc.
The Prevost you buy today is a good product, but it is virtually the same as a 2003 model. Prevost owners wanting something fresh must jump to something else, and it is most often Newell. It is happening every day. (Call Newell for a list of available Prevosts coming in on trade. Then try to find a late-model Newell trade at a conversion company--it will be a much tougher search.)
Another reality check: look at the converters' inventories on-line for new Prevost's available for sale (dozens), and then look at Newell's inventory (one shown, and the factory says it is sold). Also, the prices of both new and late model Prevosts are in the tank, while a year or two year old Newell is bringing very close to what it cost new, if you can find one. The bottom line: Prevost new conversion sales are off perhaps 50% from three or four years ago, with several converters going out of business, while Newell recently increased production again, and is operating at all-time record production rates with virtually no unsold inventory. Newell's sold-order backlog goes out almost a year. You do the math.
Problems? All the new big coaches experience serious problems on occasion. It goes with the territory. I have a good friend who bought a new Prevost XLII converted by one of the best converters, and it leaked very badly. Worse, after multiple attempts, it was still not fixed. Mold was growing and threatening the owners' health. After a couple of years, the customer was threatening to sue, and the converter and Prevost did the right thing. To resolve the problem, they replaced the coach with a brand-new one on highly favorable terms. My point is that everyone in the industry has had some major problems, certainly including Prevost and the leading converters. But that doesn't mean the Prevosts (and Newells) are not good products, because they are. But to cite alleged problems with one in a comparison with the other is a phony argument.
That said, there is a trend going on in the $1 million new coach market right now, and it is Prevost owners switching to Newells. And (opinion here) this will continue unless and until the Prevost management (at parent-company Volvo headquarters in Stockholm, by the way) decides that they cannot continue to ignore the product innovation needs of the conversion shell niche business (250 a year?) just because it is such a small part of the huge bus market (thousands) they have world-wide. The failure of Prevost to offer a 600+ bhp engine for the last three years, basically a simple plug-and-play item, speaks volumes about Prevost's disinterest in updating their conversion shell. Oh, yes, next year they claim to be offering three slide-outs. Over ten years after Newell. Now that's leadership.
Nuf said. "