Navion - Itasca or Winnebago?

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

The only difference was the color options you could order. While they are all Winnebago Ind they still retain the original model names and differences in color.

Potato, Po tat o, A rose by any other name still smells the same.

Gordon Dewald
Well said.
Everybody knows, or should know, that every Itasca RV is a Winnebago RV with a Itasca name plate... (nothing more...nothing less).

Apparently the reason Winnebago industries introduced the Itasca in 1975, (when the RV business was booming), was so they could legally contract with more RV dealers in certain geographic territories were they had already contracted with dealers to sell Winnebagos and had promised them "exclusive territories".

Can you say "Corporate Greed"?

[cbeierl]

Originally Posted by mel s

Gordon Dewald
Well said.
Everybody knows, or should know, that every Itasca RV is a Winnebago RV with a Itasca name plate... (nothing more...nothing less).

Apparently the reason Winnebago industries introduced the Itasca in 1975, (when the RV business was booming), was so they could legally contract with more RV dealers in certain geographic territories were they had already contracted with dealers to sell Winnebagos and had promised them "exclusive territories".

Can you say "Corporate Greed"?

Actually, my understanding is that Winnebago had an exclusive contract to use Dodge chassis at the time. Itasca was setup to allow them to use other chassis as well.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by cbeierl

Actually, my understanding is that Winnebago had an exclusive contract to use Dodge chassis at the time. Itasca was setup to allow them to use other chassis as well.

cbeierl
It very well could be that that was the "loop hole" Winnebago used to skirt around the responsibility they agreed to meet in an "exclusive contract" with Chrysler.
Seems like big corporations often do things like that.
Mel
'96 Safari

[edgray]

Originally Posted by cbeierl

Actually, my understanding is that Winnebago had an exclusive contract to use Dodge chassis at the time. Itasca was setup to allow them to use other chassis as well.

That is the same story I had always heard about "why" Itasca was created, and I think it makes more sense than the "more dealers" version that is widely believed to be true. I know there are (were) some dealers that opted to carry both nameplates at the same location, so I "think" the existing WBGO dealers were offered the opportunity to sell Itasca before WBGO sought a "new" dealer in the same market.

Based on the effort required to weasel out of their exclusive chassis agreement back in the seventies, I was surprised to learn that WBGO entered into another "exclusive" (with FCCC) for all their DP chassis needs.

[meagain]

Interesting. I'm buying a View/Navion and right now they merged all int/ext colors starting with 2 of the 4 models.

I assumed if I bought an Itasca Navion, it would be labeled as such. Now I guess it'll be called Winnebago Navion. Or WILL it? Makes no sense to have two names for it now. So I imagine they'll choose the official name - view or navion. LOL

[edgray]

Originally Posted by meagain

Interesting. I'm buying a View/Navion and right now they merged all int/ext colors starting with 2 of the 4 models.

I assumed if I bought an Itasca Navion, it would be labeled as such. Now I guess it'll be called Winnebago Navion. Or WILL it? Makes no sense to have two names for it now. So I imagine they'll choose the official name - view or navion. LOL

I'm betting they will choose View. Since the name is one letter shorter, the decals will cost less. Bean counters RULE!

[NLOVNIT]

Originally Posted by edgray

I'm betting they will choose View. Since the name is one letter shorter, the decals will cost less. Bean counters RULE!

Yeah, but marketing will be sure to charge the price for the longer lettered decal so they don't pass any savings along to the buyer.

Lori-

[edgray]

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

Yeah, but marketing will be sure to charge the price for the longer lettered decal so they don't pass any savings along to the buyer.

Lori-

They will likely break even because having to put Winnebago on ALL coaches will cost more than putting Itasca on some. Somebody has got to pay for those extra letters, and I'm guessing it will be the buyers.

[Bosscummins]

No biggie as long as they keep the name Navion & drop View. Sounds better to me !!

[edgray]

Originally Posted by mel s

edgray
I have never seen a press release from any RV manufacturer announcing that they discontinued anything.... but they are never to shy to publicize anything they think will increase sales of what they do sell.
Mel
'96 Safari

Well, they say there is a first time for everything........Pasted below is the PR as published today in RVBusiness:


As part of a two-year initiative designed to leverage the Winnebago brand’s cachet with RV consumers, the builder recently informed dealers it has essentially phased out its Itasca nameplate.
“This is all part of a larger strategy to become more aggressive in promoting the Winnebago brand name,” Scott Degnan, vice president, sales and product management for Forest City, Iowa-based Winnebago Industries Inc., told RVBUSINESS.com. “We continue to strengthen and build the Winnebago brand through our advertising, social media, mainstream media, and brand licensing efforts.
“If you go back a few years and look at some of our motorhomes, you can’t even tell that they’re Winnebagos. We saw that as a lost opportunity. Winnebago stands for quality and longevity, and we wanted to promote that in the industry.”
Degnan stressed that the move would not impact its dealer body in a significant way. “Dealers will be keeping the same product lines and the Itasca network has not gone away,” said Degnan. “For instance if they carried the Itasca Sunstar, it will now be a Sunstar motorhome by Winnebago. A lot of our dealers are actually seeing this as a positive. They understand that the bigger and bolder the Winnebago name is, the more recognition it will have with consumers.”
Sam Jeffson, public relations specialist, added, “In all of our marketing efforts, we are focusing on bringing Winnebago to the forefront. Ultimately, we want people to see motorhome and immediately connect to Winnebago – no stop in between.”

[Robmat]

Was at my dealer today and asked him what's going on and he confirmed what was in the article and that he being a "former" Itasca dealer will only sell those models that were former Itasca line. Nothing else will be changing stressing all were the same anyway. He handed me a hat that had Colonial RV on it rather than Colonial Itasca. I got the impression that he felt it was a positive move.