GMC Pad Wins Design Honors
Is there room for a vehicle that falls somewhere between an RV and an SUV? Judges of a competition for auto designers in Southern California seemed to think so when they awarded top prize last month to an entry from the General Motors West Coast Advanced Design Studio called the GMC Pad.

The GMC Pad is a computer-generated design for a vehicle that is both a mode of transportation and an urban loft. Judges said it represents something entirely new that they dubbed a Living Activity Vehicle.

Although the vehicle was created purely for the design competition, judges said they think there could be a real market for it.

“This creates a new segment between the RV and the SUV,” said one judge, Tom Matano, director of industrial design for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He said the vehicle could appeal to many buyers, including corporations, future homeowners, travelers and others “looking to go beyond the stereotypical RV.”

Design studios for Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and others submitted a number of design entries, including a vehicle that could patrol a beach and convert to amphibious mode to conduct water rescues; a touring car outfitted with a microwave oven, espresso machine and wine rack, and a combination road and off-road vehicle with tires that could automatically change tread depth.

But the GMC Pad was the most impressive entry in the minds of the judges. “We chose this vehicle because it was the pinnacle of creativity,” said Stewart Reed, chairman of transportation design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. “All the entrants were fantastic designs, but this design was the one which took the biggest risk.”
The Design Challenge competition was staged in conjunction with the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The GMC Pad features a diesel-electric hybrid system for propulsion, with the engine also serving as the generator for the onboard power grid. The unit includes sleeping quarters, a kitchen and a rich array of entertainment and media options.

The vehicle so far consists only of computer images. No model has been built.

Tourists Sought for Loneliest Road
The Nevada Commission on Tourism wants to make the “Loneliest Road in America” a little less lonely.

When Life magazine described U.S. Highway 50 in Nevada as the “Loneliest Road in America” in 1986, the tourism commission responded by offering motorists a “Highway 50 Survival Kit” with maps and brochures describing attractions on the route. Those who completed the drive could apply for a Highway 50 pin and a Silver State Survivor certificate signed by the governor.

To observe the 20th anniversary of the “loneliest road” designation, the commission is beginning a new campaign to encourage tourists to travel the road. This time, travelers can obtain a commission booklet along the route, have a page in the booklet stamped at businesses in Austin, Ely, Eureka, Fallon and Fernley and then send the booklet to the tourism commission to receive a certificate and commemorative trinket—a key chain medallion for motorists and a pin for motorcyclists.

The 287-mile route from Ely to Fernley roughly corresponds with the Pony Express and Overland Stagecoach trails. The area remains sparsely populated, but the road offers scenic views and access to a number of tourist attractions and recreational opportunities. For information, visit www.travelnevada.com/hwy50 or call (800) 207-7414.

Hurricane Boosts RV Business
A new analysis of Hurricane Katrina’s impact on RV demand shows that the industry sold more than 91,000 RVs with a value of $1.2 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2005.

The totals were compiled by research analyst Craig Kennison and his team at Robert W. Baird & Co., a financial management company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They reviewed FEMA data as of December 12 of last year and also drew upon information from other sources, including conference calls with manufacturers.

They found that the industry had sold 91,794 units to FEMA as of December and was projected to sell 125,000 units. They reported that Gulfstream was the largest supplier with 50,000 RVs valued at a total of $521 million. Fleetwood sold 10,600 RVs with a value of $106 million and 3,000 manufactured homes valued at $95 million.

FEMA bought RVs and manufactured homes both from manufacturers and through dealers and brokers. The study concluded that about 9,000 units from Thor Industries and 3,300 units from Monaco Coach were included in the orders.

Peter Liegl Wins Honor
Peter J. Liegl, who sold Forest River, the nation’s second largest producer of towable RVs and cargo trailers, to Berkshire Hathaway in July of last year, was named RV Business Newsmaker of the Year for 2005 by RV Business magazine. Although the acquisition price for Forest River was not disclosed, RV Business reported that industry speculation put the amount banked by Liegl at $800 million. Liegl was the sole owner of Forest River until he sold it to Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company led by Warren Buffett, one of the world’s most successful investors.

Hall of Fame Picks Inductees
The RV/MH Heritage Foundation has announced the candidates who will be inducted into the foundation’s Hall of Fame in August for their contributions to the recreation vehicle and manufactured housing industries.

They include Rollie Bannister, a housing community developer in Raleigh, North Carolina; Harris (Butch) Berg, a housing manufacturer with Wick Building Systems in Mazomanie, Wisconsin: Tom Faludy, first chairman of the Go-RVing Coalition and an industry supplier with Scott Fetzer Company of Westlake, Ohio; Crosby Forest, an RV retailer from Newport News, Virginia, and Joseph P. Hayden, Jr., a housing finance and insurance leader with Midland Company in Amelia, Ohio.

Others are Bruce Hertzke, chairman of the board of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and Winnebago Industries; Mike Molino, an executive with the National RV Dealers Association in Washington, D.C.; R. James Scoular, a housing community operator with Iseman Corporation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Leon Shahanisarian, a pioneer importer and supplier of gas-electric refrigerators in Elkhart, Indiana; Randy Thompson, an RV retailer and past RVDA chairman from Lincolnshire, Illinois; Donald C. Westphal, a housing industry consultant from Rochester Hills, Michigan, and Ronald Younkin, a housing community operator with the Greenlawn Companies in Columbus, Ohio.

The RV/MH Heritage Foundation maintains a Hall of Fame, museum and library in Elkhart, Indiana.

Nevada to Host Adventurers
“Nevada Passage”, a made-for-television adventure competition designed to showcase the state’s outdoors destinations, will be staged from May 8 to 13 in or near Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Virginia City, Austin, Pahrump and Laughlin. Competitors will test their skills in biking, trail running, jet skiing and such offbeat events as railroad handcar races and ranch hand rodeo.

The adventures will be filmed and edited for a one-hour show that will be telecast on stations across the country starting in August. The first “Nevada Passage” show, sponsored by the Nevada Commission on Tourism, was aired last year on television stations in 100 markets.