Market Survey Analysis Shows Improvement in UTV Sector
Despite the uncertainties that continue to loom over the industry as a whole — namely, tariffs in 2019 and rising interest rates, among other macroeconomic concerns — dealer sentiment remained positive.
Strong Growth Reported in ATV/UTV Segment
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the off-road vehicle market saw strong UTV and ATV growth in the end of July, although the rest of the month saw lackluster demand, it appears the demand has carried over into August. Indeed, dealers noted that aggressive pricing is the primary driver of new unit sales
UTV Market Still Being Driven by Innovation
In our opinion, the intensity of promotions across the UTV universe has caused the UTV/ATV price gap to narrow to never-before-seen levels, which is driving incremental cannibalization to the UTV market.
Slight Uptick in Retail Sales Environment
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment improved sequentially in the month of April. It appears that after starting off slowly (in part due to unfavorable weather conditions), sell-through trends picked up as the month progressed and comparisons eased (lapping the Polaris stop-sale last April). Now that Can-Am’s Maverick X3
Lower Priced Units Remain In Demand
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment remained weak in March. The general theme in the marketplace is that consumer interest was focused on lower-priced ATV units and utility products from Can-Am, Polaris and Honda. In the recreational market, Can-Am’s Maverick X3 Max was a major topic of discussion as
Lower Priced Units Remain Consumer Focus
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment remained weak in February. The general theme in the marketplace is that consumer interest was focused on lower-priced ATV units and utility products from Can-Am, Polaris and Honda. In the recreational segment, Polaris’ heavily discounted RZR 1000 models were a topic of conversation,
Dealers Upbeat Early in 2017
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment remained weak in January but improved sequentially. The general theme in the marketplace is that consumer interest was focused on utility products and Maverick X3 models depending on the region. On the utility side of things, we believe there was some incremental sell
Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment improved sequentially but on balance remained weak to close out the year. For many powersports and motorcycle dealers, the end of 2016 couldn’t arrive soon enough, as end-markets were choppy and consumers were generally more price sensitive than at any point since the
Anticipating Improved Retail Sales in 2017
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment remained weak in November. The general theme in the marketplace is that consumer interest was focused on model year 2016 products with large incentives. While the amount of 2016 units on showroom floors were nearly depleted by month end on many models, we
’16 was not so Sweet, but ’17 Could be Better
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or most motorcycle and powersports dealers, 2016 was anything but sweet. In fact, we would venture to say that it was a year most dealers would rather forget. Much of the volatility that plagued the end of 2015, carried over into 2016 and pressured not only sales, but more importantly, weighed on profits. Issues that
Retail Sales Environment Remained Sluggish in September
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ur latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment remained sluggish in September. The general theme from the market place is that consumers are being cautious with their spending and are often compelled to make a purchase only when heavy incentives are included. Perhaps the best example of this consumer behavior comes
End of Summer Leaves Industry Sluggish
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ur latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the retail sales environment in the powersports industry was sluggish in August. While dealers received a lift in traffic early in the month from end-of-the-year sales promotions, consumer traffic trailed off as the month continued. As a result, dealers were not able to materially improve their inventory
