The first designs, Davis admits, were pretty utilitarian. The company
leaned on the word of its dealers, listening for functional ideas. The
constant circuit of RV shows combined with the custom inquiries
helped quite a bit. ATC didn’t stop there, though.
“We kind of created a dealership panel of what we felt were the five
dealers that really got it. We could trust their opinions. They weren’t
in it for their own thing. They wanted to make this a better team
effort,” Davis remembers.
Davis recalled compliments the toy haulers received on the size of
their bathrooms. It’s something, he admitted, the company didn’t do
intentionally. They just thought they’d make the most space possible
of the area where they were building it. Now, those large restrooms,
another rarity in the RV world, have become a staple of ATC’s line.
Davis says that staple comes from the company listening to what
people were saying.
For 2018, ATC announced a new toy hauler. Davis hoped it
would have been introduced at the 2018 NATDA Trade Show
& Convention. With most RV happening from January to March,
September’s show as the perfect opportunity.
“We made a list of all the suggestions we heard from people and
voted on it. We came up with ten to fifteen awesome things and,
within a month, we had new plans.”
But, due to internal factors, the company didn’t have the manpower
to pull off a new prototype in time. It came prepared with brochures
and explanations, but dealers would have to wait to see the new
model in person.
“Hopefully, that becomes the pattern for us at ATC – that we
introduce the cool, new stuff at NATDA. I think that’s perfect. It’s a
draw for dealers. It’s exciting.”
Dealers still latched onto the ideas and concepts they knew would
come. ATC was able to sell the upcoming units and the trailers are
hitting dealers’ lots right about now.
“We’re striving to improve. We know we’re not perfect at all and
we’ve got a long way to go. It’s unique, because it’s an expensive
product. But, people are falling in love with it. It’s been exciting.”
People have fallen in love with it. According to Davis, the company’s
toy hauler division has more than doubled this year.
For more information on ATC, please visit
www.aluminumtoyhauler.com or call 877-441-2440.
www.natda.org
NATDA Magazine
23