President, Chief Executive Officer & Director, Thor
Search every verified Robert Martin interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Bob Martin, president and CEO of Thor Industries, discussed the company's performance and outlook in several media appearances in late 2024. He described the previous year as "rough" for the industry in North America, citing interest rate increases and macroeconomic factors outside the company's control. Martin noted that while the company focuses on what it can control, such as product innovation and efficiency, the broader environment has been challenging. He pointed to potential positive signs, including signals from the Federal Reserve about possible rate cuts, and expressed optimism that the industry could return to a more normalized rate in the second half of the year. Martin also highlighted the difference between the European and U.S. markets, noting that 80% of European customers pay for their units in cash, while in the U.S. about 80% finance, making the U.S. market more directly affected by interest rates. Martin also addressed organizational changes within Thor, stating that the passing of a company president in May led to leadership moves, including placing executives at Heartland and KZ. He drew comparisons to previous soft markets but said each situation is different, and the company continues to focus on products and innovation. Martin expressed confidence in the upcoming Tampa show, describing it as a strong event where customers come to see product. On the topic of electric vehicles, he said Thor has taken a lead with caution, noting that infrastructure needs to be in place before EV trailers or cars can become a major focus, and called for legislative support for charging infrastructure.
“I'm pretty passionate about Palestine for a number of reasons. I have learned that much from you guys over the last two weeks than I've last learned in the last 10 years and I've learned a lot so kudos to you guys you guys are rocking you here every day or everywhere you're doing the work.”
“I went to visit a person called Mohammad El kurd... he was scared to let me into his house because he assumed that I was either a settler a Jewish guy coming from overseas to take his house... Jewish people from America go in there and take turns taking over the house because they want racist ones they want aggressive...”
“I am really embarrassed that I was a subconscious racist but that's exactly what I was my best friend I never believed him I only believed him when I went to Palestine and I came back and I said mate you're right. I ask anyone that does not know about Palestine or thinks they know about Israel dig slightly below the su...”
“I'm sick to death of being caused or insinuated that I'm a terror supporter because I don't support Israel if I supported Israel I would be supporting Terror and I'll never do that. Palestinians are called Jew haters anti-semites the reason they resist is they're resisting an occupier the occup occupier could be Chines...”
“All I ask is in this aw Bell if they've got children go home and look at your children imagine one of them is dead because that's what you're doing you are arming an army that is killing civilians.”
“It was a rough year for all, especially in North America with all the interest rate increases and all the macro events — they're just sometimes things that we are out of our control, so for me and our companies we just try to control the things that we can.”
“Europe is remaining a very strong part of our business — it's quite simple: in Europe 80% of the customers pay for their units in cash; in the US it's the opposite, it's about 80% finance, so interest rates do have a direct effect.”
“No one has the crystal ball, but I think you see some of the things from the stock market, the FED signaling possibly some cuts — those positive signs can really help us get back to more of a normalized rate, probably in the second half of the year.”
“Tampa last year was another very large crowd — people come from all over to see product and they may buy at Tampa but they may go buy from their home dealer when they get back; Tampa should be another very strong show.”
“There are comparisons to previous soft markets but everything's different; anytime the macro has an effect we keep doing what we're doing — we focus on products, innovation and new features and we keep our product development machine going.”
“What triggered the divisional changes was the passing of one of our presidents, Mr. Kukan, in May — Matt Zimmerman stepped in, helped manage the company and then we made moves like moving Kyle to Heartland and Ryan Juday to KZ to put the right people in the right spots.”
“We've taken a lead on EV topics but with caution — there needs to be infrastructure before people can focus too much on EV cars or EV trailers; we laid out a creative schematic for charging where you need a charger for your car and one for your trailer, and we need legislators and the VA to help push for that.”
“The RV lifestyle is alive and well; the campground was busier than I've ever seen it in several of the camping groups, with lots of big units really enjoying the weather and the show.”
“Even though our prices are higher, on a relative basis, an RV is still a very affordable way to enjoy a vacation and to be able to move around and enjoy your family, especially compared to cottages or condos that have gone up tremendously in price.”
“We partnered with Starlink because it works better in rural areas, which is perfect for the RV industry, and the consumer experience is impressive with fast setup and reliable connectivity even in remote locations.”
Robert Martin speaks in support of the Palestinians Aaron Craine
Bob Martin, president and CEO of THOR Industries Inc., joins Sherm Goldenberg and Rick Kessler for an RVBusiness Capitol Talk ...
THOR Industries President & CEO Bob Martin joins Sherm Goldenberg and Rick Kessler of RVBusiness for a discussion on the ...
n this episode of RVBusiness Capitol Talk, THOR Industries President & CEO Bob Martin joins Publisher Sherm Goldenberg and ...
In this episode of Capitol Talk, Sherm Goldenberg of RVBusiness is joined by Bob Martin, president and CEO of THOR Industries ...
Thor Industries CEO Bob Martin said the recreational vehicle maker is struggling to replenish dealership inventories as consumer ...
Thor Industries Inc. President and CEO Bob Martin and Bob Tiffin, president and founder of Tiffin Motorhomes, recently sat down ...
On this episode we chat with Bob Martin, Thor CEO and President, about the recent acquisition of Tiffin Motorhomes. John also ...
We are excited to announce that Bob Martin, President and CEO of the world's largest RV company, will join us as we get ready to ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Robert Martin.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →