News ·
State of the Industry 2026: production down 4.9%, imports up 16%, registrations near 938,000
The CIAA's State of the Industry Report 2026 quantifies the reshape: local production fell to 23,963 units while imports hit 23,244 — near parity for the first time. Registrations and park revenue both grew.
By Caravanist
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s State of the Industry Report 2026 puts hard numbers on what dealer floors have been signalling all year: local production is contracting, imports are surging, and the two lines are about to cross.
The headline numbers
| Metric | 2026 figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Local RV production | 23,963 units | −4.9% vs 2024 (still +12% vs 2019) |
| Imported units | 23,244 units | +16% |
| Import value | $619.2 million | +12.6% |
| Average import price | $26,638 | down from $27,494 |
| Total RV registrations | 937,701 | +4% |
| Caravan park revenue | $3.3 billion | +7% |
| Domestic caravan/camping trips | 17.3 million overnight trips | 57.9 million visitor nights |
Data comes from the CIAA report and Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) figures, as analysed by GoRV in its July coverage.
Local production and imports are near parity
The stat that defines this report: 23,963 locally-built units versus 23,244 imports. A market that was roughly 80/20 domestic five years ago is now effectively 50/50 by unit volume. On current trajectories — local production declining ~5% annually, imports growing 16% — imported units will outnumber Australian-built RVs in the 2027 report.
The average import price of $26,638 also tells a story: imports aren’t only the premium European motorhomes of old. The volume is in affordable towables — brands like Austrack, Regent RV and EzyTrail, which GoRV notes gained significant ground this cycle while Jayco held market leadership despite a 15% production drop.
Motorhome production was the sharpest local decline: 910 units, down 39.6%, with campervan production falling to just 96 units. The closure of Tourism Holdings’ Brisbane factory accounts for a large slice of that — Winnebago, Talvor, Coromal and Windsor production all moved offshore in December 2025.
Big vans still dominate — against the cost-of-living script
One counterintuitive finding: towable caravans over 6 metres dominated sales despite cost-of-living pressure. As GoRV put it, “instinct tends to suggest the opposite — smaller, lighter vans are cheaper to buy,” yet buyers kept choosing size. The likely read: caravan purchases are long-horizon lifestyle decisions made by equity-rich older buyers, not discretionary spends that flex with grocery prices.
Demand-side signals stay strong
While the manufacturing side consolidates — six major exits in the last 12 months — every demand indicator in the report points up:
- Registrations grew 4% to nearly 938,000 — the installed base keeps compounding
- Caravan park revenue rose 7% to $3.3 billion, with NSW parks exceeding $1 billion for the first time
- $12.6 billion in caravan and camping visitor expenditure
That’s the “correction, not collapse” argument in numbers: Australians aren’t caravanning less — the question is purely who builds the hardware.
What it means for buyers
- The import-vs-local decision is now unavoidable. At near price-parity volume, most shortlists will cross the line. Warranty depth, parts inventory and importer longevity are the diligence items — see our consolidation coverage for the checklist.
- The used market stays deep. A 938k registered base growing 4% a year means strong supply of well-kept second-hand stock. Our 12-point inspection guide is the place to start.
- Local builders will keep sharpening pricing. A contracting production base fighting for a stable buyer pool is good news for anyone negotiating on a new Australian-built van this year.