Coachmen Industries Forecasts 2001 Performance

    ELKHART, Ind., March 9 Coachmen Industries , a
full-line manufacturer of recreational vehicles (RVs) and America's leading
producer of modular homes, is presenting its calendar year 2000 performance
and outlook for 2001 at the RedChip.com(TM) Investor Conference today in
San Francisco. The meeting will be web cast on Wednesday, March 14 at
http://www.RedChip.com .
    The presentation by Coachmen's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
Claire C. Skinner, details Coachmen's greatest strengths over its 36-year
history.  These include excellent brand equity in the Coachmen and All
American Homes names, a loyal dealer and builder base, a focused management
team and a strong balance sheet, all of which contributed to Coachmen's being
named to Forbes magazine's Platinum 400 list.
    As part of the presentation, Skinner and interim Chief Financial Officer
Richard M. Lavers reiterate the company's strategic plan for growth and
improvement, which has been detailed in earlier publicly released
announcements.  A key component of this strategy is a move to more balanced
revenue between the company's recreational vehicle segment and its modular
housing and construction segment.  Actions completed recently, including the
acquisition of three modular companies (Mod-U-Kraf Homes, Inc., Miller
Building Systems, Inc. and Kan Build, Inc.) should result in approximately
37 percent of the company's revenue being generated by it's modular segment in
2001 versus 24 percent in 2000 and 17 percent in 1999.
    The financial outlook for 2001 is based on some key assumptions that
include a forecast industry decline in motorhome shipments of 17.9 percent and
towable RVs by 9.4 percent, with improvement in the second half combined with
modest market share growth.  The 2001 outlook also assumes continued wellness
of the modular segment, with the accretive value of the three recent
acquisitions.  And the 2001 outlook assumes no worsening of the economy with
factors including 4.2 percent unemployment, 2.6 percent inflation rate,
5.5 percent fed interest rate, $29.71 per barrel of crude oil, 2.0 percent to
2.5 percent GDP growth, mostly in the second half of the year, and stable
consumer confidence.
    The Company is tracking close to its business plan through the first two
months of 2001.  Nevertheless, as previously announced, the Company
anticipates a loss in the first quarter.  Subject to the assumptions, the
second quarter should see a return to profitability, and the third and fourth
quarters should be profitable.  Projected revenue for 2001 is approximately
$750 million with earnings per share in the $0.60 to $0.70 range, up from
$0.14 in 2000.  The outlook for 2002 is for improved margins and revenue
growth.
    Coachmen Industries, Inc., founded in 1964, is one of the nation's leading
full-line manufacturers of recreational vehicles.  The company is also a
leader in modular housing and building.  Coachmen is one of the industry's
best-known brand names of RVs and All American Homes, one of the company's
modular housing and building subsidiaries, is America's leading producer of
modular homes. Coachmen is a publicly held company with stock listed on the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the COA ticker symbol.

    The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to the
accuracy of the stated assumptions.  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 cyclical and
seasonal nature of the company's businesses, the potential fluctuations in the
company's operating results, the implementation of its enterprise-wide
software, the availability and pricing of gasoline, the company's dependence
on chassis suppliers, interest rates, adverse weather, changes in property
taxes and energy costs, changes in federal income tax laws and federal
mortgage financing programs, changes in public policy, competition, government
regulations, legislation governing the relationships of the company with its
recreational vehicle dealers, the impact of economic uncertainty on high-cost
discretionary product purchases and other risks identified in the company's
SEC filings.