New Prevost Conversion Company

[sheridany]

Featherlite Coaches has launched a separate company that will build X3 shell coaches under $2MM. This is an interesting play in the luxury coach market, with the King Aire heading towards $1.7MM, giving them some competition for consideration. You are limited to selected interior offerings, but the exterior paint can be custom. Those thinking about a new King Aire might want to compare the two offerings.

Epic Motor Coach

epicmotorcoach.com

Here is an Andrew Steele video with a walk-through.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

Pickup aluminum cans are more profitable than I imagined. Oh, that's right, you're in the Golden State.

 

[Neal]

As to the King Aire reference, I'm not sure a price point puts anything in comparison. Does raising a price on a product automatically put it into a category such as a Marathon, Newell, etc.?

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

King Air is nice but I don't see it ever competing with a Featherlite, Newell, or Marathon quality custom coach particularly if the price point is one or two hundred thousand dollars. I would include Foretravel in this mix also.

 

[sheridany]

To answer @Neal, it is no. I am using King Aires just because they have jumped in price so much in the last few years. I wish I could see what data they have that is telling them to raise prices so dramatically aside from their manufacturing costs. There is nothing wrong with a King Aire if that is your desire to have something under $2MM that is brand new with Newell and the Prevost converters heading to $3MM+ for a brand-new build, especially on the Prevost H chassis.

The difference is the level of customization and the chassis construction, which you can completely customize to your heart's desire, which you can't do in King Aire aside from the specials, which are pre-determined what is available.

Now comes Epic and they are quoting under $2MM because they see an opportunity in the price range of 1.5MM to under $2MM on a Prevost Chassis with very limited customization. This might steal some business away but it is hard to tell at this point.

Clearly, that is not the sweet spot for the vast majority of RV buyers, so it will be interesting to watch because they must have some data that is pushing Featherlite to launch a whole new brand. I also find it interesting they launched when the RV industry was in a slump.

I also agree if one were to do a comparison, a buyer might want to include Foretravel in their comparison set.

 

[newmarokie]

Do all the others have five alternators? Just wow on that alone

 

[Joe Hogan]

In my opinion a Custom Coach, while gorgeous and close to perfect, comes with the hassle of maintaining a Custom whatever.
Unless it is the builder doing the maintenance work, everything is a learning experience that may not work out the first few times.
Spent much of my younger days fooling with highly modified automobiles. After a while it becomes a chore chasing engineering puzzles.
Standard is a pleasure with the DutchStar. Help is a phone call away.

 

[sheridany]

All maintenance and repairs are done at either Prevost (chassis) or House (Converter). Keep in mind that Prevost is a bus company, so time is money for commercial and entertainer buses. The Prevost One pass program is pretty impressive. If you break down, you give them a call, and they will either get a certified shop to come to you or arrange low-boy transport. They don't mess around. You are in their service centers and out very quickly because they have to get those buses back out on the road.
All the converters have 24/7 support (they should). Custom in the conversion world does not mean that it is so "custom" only the converter can work on it. They use many of the same components that you see in production coaches like Glendining reels, Girard Awnings etc. Custom is really the design, layout, and features that an owner desires to make it their own. If a standard production coach works for you, great. It is nice to have choices and options.

 

[J&JD]

All maintenance and repairs are done at either Prevost (chassis) or House (Converter). Keep in mind that Prevost is a bus company, so time is money for commercial and entertainer buses. The Prevost One pass program is pretty impressive. If you break down, you give them a call, and they will either get a certified shop to come to you or arrange low-boy transport. They don't mess around. You are in their service centers and out very quickly because they have to get those buses back out on the road.
All the converters have 24/7 support (they should). Custom in the conversion world does not mean that it is so "custom" only the converter can work on it. They use many of the same components that you see in production coaches like Glendining reels, Girard Awnings etc. Custom is really the design, layout, and features that an owner desires to make it their own. If a standard production coach works for you, great. It is nice to have choices and options.

For a guy who had a DEF head failure, had to wait overnight to be towed 130 miles and then had to wait 30 days for repair (COVID times), that sounds pretty sweet to me @sheridany.