Hymer

History.

From a small repair workshop founded in 1923 grew the namesake brand of one of the world's largest motorhome groups.

In 1923, Alfons Hymer opened a repair workshop for agricultural machinery in Bad Waldsee. His son Erwin Hymer, born in 1930, shaped the company decisively from the 1950s onward: Together with aviation pioneer Erich Bachem, he developed the first caravan prototypes in 1957 under the name "Eriba" — lightweight, aerodynamic, and unlike the heavy competition.

In 1961, the first Hymer motorhome prototype was created on a Borgward platform. In 1971, Erwin Hymer launched series production of motorhomes in Bad Waldsee. Over the following decades, Hymer acquired the brands Niesmann+Bischoff (1991), Bürstner (1998), Dethleffs, Laika, LMC, and others. In 2015, the brand portfolio was officially consolidated as Erwin Hymer Group SE. Erwin Hymer passed away in 2013 — his life's work was fully acquired by US-based Thor Industries Inc. in 2019.

1. 1923 Alfons Hymer opens a repair shop in Bad Waldsee
2. 1957 Erwin Hymer and Erich Bachem found the brand Eriba
3. 1961 First Hymer motorhome based on Borgward chassis (3 units)
4. 1971 Launch of serial motorhome production in Bad Waldsee
5. 1991 Acquisition of Niesmann+Bischoff
6. 1998 Acquisition of Bürstner
7. 2013 Erwin Hymer dies; Hymer AG delists from stock exchange
8. 2015 Consolidation of brands into the Erwin Hymer Group SE
9. 2019 Complete acquisition by Thor Industries Inc. (USA)