Skyrocketing sales in an unexpected 2020, especially in the UTV and off-road segment, has put vehicle manufacturers in the forefront. The off-road segment is seeing upwards of a 50% increase from 2019, a number that no dealer could have predicted in March.
Setting the company up for growth well before the pandemic, HISUN Motors was able to adapt to the quickly changing industry in 2020, resulting in a record-breaking year.
“With strategic planning, HISUN had to adapt and adapt quickly to meet a demand that is at an all-time high. Having two manufacturing plants has allowed us to increase production to keep our pipeline healthy with product. We are also grateful that our ocean freight needs have been accommodated, while available space has been extremely limited,” said Larry Vandiver, director of dealer business at HISUN.
Headquartered in the U.S., HISUN fulfills assembly, technical support and parts distribution out of their 300,000-sq.-ft. Texas facility. Without a glitch, the company is able to meet the increased consumer demand and complete dealer requests at a much quicker rate.
“HISUN performs final assembly of all product in McKinney, Texas. This has enabled us to react faster than some suppliers to the surge in demand. We also streamlined our model choices in an effort to supply the most popular models and colors in greater numbers,” said Ryan Daugherty, vice president of sales and marketing for HISUN.
New 2020 models for HISUN include the HS Series UTV and the Tactic lineup of 2-up ATVs, but their best-selling products are their flagship models.
“The majority of our market share has predominantly been because of our utility models like the Sector 550 and Sector 750, but during these unprecedented times, our sports models like the Strike 550 have been selling at an increasing rate. We can’t ship them out the door fast enough,” said Thomas Kang, Eastern U.S. regional sales manager.
The Sector is built to get riders wherever they need to go, quickly and comfortably. With an automatic CVT transmission, 4-wheel drive with locking differentials, nitrogen assisted shocks and a list of standard accessories, the Sector will make riders feel right at home with the power to accomplish any task.
The Strike is equipped with a 4-stroke, single cylinder OHC engine and independent dual a-arm suspension. It is ready to put any terrain in its place and is specifically engineered to deliver optimum performance with a 53.5-in. narrow stance, allowing riders to access areas many sport side-by-sides wouldn’t be able to touch.
When it comes to selling off-road vehicles, dealers have said that the price is a big motivator for customer’s vehicle choice, but making decisions comes a little easier for those looking at a HISUN.
“It’s not always about price. Dealerships have the unique opportunity to build a relationship with their customer and offer them other services, such as routine maintenance and accessory sales. HISUN also offers a limited two-year warranty that helps ease the mind of any buying customer,” Kang said.
And to ease the mind of the dealer, HISUN offers flexibility and sales support, which makes working with the company unique.
“We pride ourselves on creating positive experiences when doing business with HISUN, which creates a healthy business relationship and builds a foundation of trust. We also offer a diverse model mix that can be customized to fit our dealers’ needs,” Kang said.
“We think of our dealers as family, and we are here as a resource from them to utilize; to help grow their business. We also offer unique marketing opportunities, like HISUN Connect, that allows both HISUN and our dealer partners to highlight our partnership at the highest level,” said Gabriel Cruz, HISUN marketing manager.
For many dealers, the task of marketing can be difficult to manage, especially while running a business and interacting with customers. Newly implemented in the first quarter of 2020, HISUN Connect leverages the places where people, brands, media and technology meet, implementing forward-thinking digital strategies for dealers.
“We offer marketing opportunities that allow us to work closely with our dealers to assist in driving traffic and highlight their partnership with HISUN. We recently launched HISUN Connect, a program that allows us to connect with our dealers on social platforms such as Facebook. This allows us to help craft unique content and supply knowledge to the dealer that allows for more robust digital advertising in their market,” Cruz said.
Reaching customers in the digital space helps bring business to dealerships. Once that customer is in the store, HISUN recently began business partnerships to make financing easier for buyers.
“Along with continuing to grow our internal business with the addition of new team members, our goal is to offer our dealers premium business solutions,” Vandiver said. “This year, we have partnered with Northpoint Commercial Finance as our preferred floor plan vendor and the dealer support has been phenomenal. Dealers are experiencing same day approval and have been extremely pleased with the process. We have also partnered with Synchrony Bank as our preferred retail finance solution. This gives us the ability to offer the consumer industry leading finance programs that includes 24/7 dealer support and an approval process that can be completed within minutes.”
In a time of significant powersports market growth, if a dealer is looking to add an OEM, HISUN recommends opening communication to learn more.
“It is always best for any interested dealer to do their research, as they know their own business needs best,” Kang explained. “Our team is always available to work with interested dealers to show them how we can grow together and have a successful partnership. The first step in starting the conversation would be to complete the dealer inquiry form hosted on our website and one of our expert business development managers will reach out. You can also pick up the phone and give us a call (972) 446-0760.”
For more information about HISUN, visit hisunmotors.com.
