02-01-2014, 08:27 AM
So let me get this straight....Emerald will build a coach with:
...fewer slides,
...ah hem, Prevost styling instead of Porsche styling,
...Oak wood interiors instead of gorgeous hardwood laminates,
...split windshields instead of single piece
and no steerable tag, or ZF active suspension....for a lower cost.
Good Luck!
If they want to compete they have to do something significantly better than the incumbent. "Our coach is almost as good, yet costs less" is never a strong selling point. They will have to be bold to be successful (Think about the state of the phone market before the iPhone was introduced.)
I humbly offer a few suggestions to an aspiring coach builder:
...Engineer a coach with modern composites like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (lighter, stronger)
...Figure out Lithium battery technology and use for house batteries
...Add radar assisted driving like the newer BMWs and Mercedes
...Incorporate features like integrated solar panels to make dry-camping / tailgating quieter and greener.
...Use dynamic glass on side windows for privacy (One switch turns the glass from clear to grey opaque)
...Figure out a way to use one of new LNG engines. "Cummins projects that by 2020, nearly 30 percent of its high horsepower engine production will be natural gas due to the increasing abundance of the fuel and its relatively low cost"
...Raise the roof. My house has 11' ceilings, why doesn't my coach? Use the existing slide technology to build a frame-in-a-frame that will raise the entire roof when landed.
Newell has continued to innovate and makes a large step forward every couple of years. If Emerald or anyone else wants to compete they are going to have to get up pretty early in the morning!
Anyone else got ideas for radical new features for high end RVs?
...fewer slides,
...ah hem, Prevost styling instead of Porsche styling,
...Oak wood interiors instead of gorgeous hardwood laminates,
...split windshields instead of single piece
and no steerable tag, or ZF active suspension....for a lower cost.
Good Luck!
If they want to compete they have to do something significantly better than the incumbent. "Our coach is almost as good, yet costs less" is never a strong selling point. They will have to be bold to be successful (Think about the state of the phone market before the iPhone was introduced.)
I humbly offer a few suggestions to an aspiring coach builder:
...Engineer a coach with modern composites like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (lighter, stronger)
...Figure out Lithium battery technology and use for house batteries
...Add radar assisted driving like the newer BMWs and Mercedes
...Incorporate features like integrated solar panels to make dry-camping / tailgating quieter and greener.
...Use dynamic glass on side windows for privacy (One switch turns the glass from clear to grey opaque)
...Figure out a way to use one of new LNG engines. "Cummins projects that by 2020, nearly 30 percent of its high horsepower engine production will be natural gas due to the increasing abundance of the fuel and its relatively low cost"
...Raise the roof. My house has 11' ceilings, why doesn't my coach? Use the existing slide technology to build a frame-in-a-frame that will raise the entire roof when landed.
Newell has continued to innovate and makes a large step forward every couple of years. If Emerald or anyone else wants to compete they are going to have to get up pretty early in the morning!
Anyone else got ideas for radical new features for high end RVs?
Bill Johnson
Birmingham, Alabama