Coachmen Grabs Market Share

MIDDLEBURY, IN — Coachmen RV Group has shown considerable strength during the first four months of 2008 in retail sales of its motorized products.

Statistical Surveys Inc. ranked Coachmen fifth in the nation in all motorhome retail sales, year-to-date through April, with 8.3 percent market share. Market share for the month of April alone was an impressive 9.5 percent.

Retail sales of Coachmen RV Group Class C motorhomes have been particularly strong. Coachmen Industries is ranked the No. 2 retailing manufacturer in the industry in Class C retail sales with 15.3 percent market share. The Coachmen model (brand) has earned the No. 1 ranking throughout the nation with a market share increase of 6.2 percent through the first four months of 2008, on top of our 2007 calendar year market share growth of 13.2 percent. April 2008 sales were particularly strong with the Coachmen brand logging 16.6 percent of all Class Cs sold that month.

Coachmen’s travel trailer and fifth wheel products are also gaining market share through April 2008. These gains are also on top of significant market share gains posted in calendar year 2007.

"Over the last 18 months, we have radically repositioned our Company. A clear vision, best-in-class quality and innovation to our products represent our most significant accomplishments. These accomplishments are supported by our market share gains in nearly all product categories”, said Michael R. Terlep, president of Coachmen RV Group. “As Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs once said, innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. The latest data from Statistical Surveys clearly shows that the innovation that we have brought to our products has re-established Coachmen as a leader."

Coachmen's Class C Freelander™ has led the charge in sales. Among the features that consumers find appealing are its immense exterior storage, residential size queen beds and the innovative Azdel™ SuperLite™ composite substrate in the sidewalls that resists moisture, mold and rot.

"Our product innovations are practical innovations that provide value to our customers," said Terlep. "Beyond the WOW factor of our products, they are easy to use, easy to own and easy to enjoy.”

Other Coachmen motorized products with progressive, forward thinking, ultra-modern styling that are earning great reviews include:

• The Prism™, an aerodynamic fuel efficient Class C built on the diesel Sprinter chassis.
• The Leprechaun® Class C … special 40th edition of the Leprechaun series featuring an advanced interior design coupled with a reliable motorhome design and construction.
• The Mirada™ Avant-garde™, a Class A gas powered motorhome that has a distinctly unique interior design.

About Coachmen Industries

Coachmen Industries, Inc. is one of America's leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles, systems-built homes and commercial buildings, with prominent subsidiaries in each industry. The Company's well-known RV brand names include COACHMEN®, GEORGIE BOY™, SPORTSCOACH®, ADRENALINE™ and VIKING®. Coachmen Industries, Inc. is a publicly held company with stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol COA.

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain. Actual results may differ materially from that projected or suggested due to certain risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the potential fluctuations in the Company's operating results, increased interest rates, the availability of floorplan financing for the Company's recreational vehicle dealers and corresponding availability of cash to the Company, uncertainties and timing with respect to sales resulting from recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast, uncertainties regarding the impact on sales of the Company's disclosed restructuring steps in both the recreational vehicle and housing and building segments, the ability of the Company to generate taxable income in future years to utilize deferred tax assets and net operating loss carry-forwards available for use, the impact of performance on the valuation of intangible assets, the availability and the price of gasoline, price volatility of raw materials used in production, the Company's dependence on chassis and other suppliers, the availability and cost of real estate for residential housing, the supply of existing homes within the Company's markets, the impact of home values on housing demand, the impact of sub-prime lending on the availability of credit for the broader housing market, the ability of the Housing and Building Group to perform in new market segments where it has limited experience, adverse weather conditions affecting home deliveries, competition, government regulations, legislation governing the relationships of the Company with its recreational vehicle dealers, dependence on significant customers within certain product types, consolidation of distribution channels in the recreational vehicle industry, consumer confidence, uncertainties of matters in litigation, current litigation relating to and Congressional inquiry surrounding the Company's use of components containing formaldehyde in its products, further developments in the war on terrorism and related international crises, oil supplies, and other risks identified in the Company's SEC filings.