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Thor Announces Record Backlog of $410 Million, Double Last Year

8 December 1999

Thor Announces Record Backlog of $410 Million, Double Last Year; California Bus Facility Receives Coveted ISO 9001 Certification

    JACKSON CENTER, Ohio, Dec. 7 -- Thor Industries, Inc.
announced today that its order backlog is at a record
$410 million, more than double last year.
    At last week's Louisville RV show, Thor received excellent order input and
added over 100 new dealers.  RV backlog is $135 million, up 62% from
$83 million last year.  Bus backlog, including the recently announced bid
awards from the State of California for 1,135 buses, probably the largest unit
bid ever awarded to a bus manufacturer, is $275 million, up 135% from
$117 million last year.  The bus backlog also includes 65 buses totaling
$10 million from Hertz and Avis.
    Thor also announced that its ElDorado National bus facility in Chino,
California received the International Standards Organization 9001
certification that recognizes world class quality standards.  "Thor is the
only mid-size bus manufacturer to receive this certification for all its
plants, demonstrating again our leadership position," said Wade F. B.
Thompson, Thor chairman.
    This release includes "forward-looking statements" that involve
uncertainties and risks.  There can be no assurance that actual results will
not differ from the Company's expectations.  Factors which could cause
materially different results include, among others, the success of new product
introductions, the pace of acquisitions and cost structure improvements,
competitive and general economic conditions, and the other risks set forth in
the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.