Champion, today two separate companies that build manufactured homes and commercial buses; was at one time, a singular company based in Dryden, Michigan that built the latter two in addition to motorhomes, and during the late 1950’s-early 1960’s-conventional Travel Trailers.
Champion started out in 1953 building manufactured homes, then had expanded into RVs with the conventional Travel Trailer and then motor homes; and the company had leveraged it’s experience on building motorhomes on a commercially available chassis by entering the commercial bus business.
In the late 1980’s, the RV/commercial bus business and the manufactured housing business were split off into two separate companies bearing the same name; and by the early 1990’s, the RV/commercial bus business-now owned by Thor Industries, owner of several other RV manufacturers (including Airstream); got Champion out of the RV business and made commercial buses the company’s core business, which is still the case to this day. Thor Industries, after all; had nothing to lose since they own a plethora of other RV manufacturers.
At some point in time, Champion had moved out of their tiny offices and manufacturing facility in Dryden, Michigan and into a larger facility in Imlay City, Michigan.
Today, Champion’s bus manufacturing facility is based in Rose City, Michigan.
Champion’s facilities in Dryden, Michigan:
Champion’s facilities in Imlay City, Michigan:
Matthew Parij 