Motorcycle & Powersports News Announces Staff Changes
Babcox Media Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Brendan Baker to the position of editor of Motorcycle & Powersports News (MPN). In conjunction with Baker’s new appointment, Robin Hartfiel has been appointed to the position of editor-at-large for MPN. Colleen Brousil, editor of MPN, who has served in a variety of editorial capacities with the brand since 2002, leaves her role with Babcox Media to take another position within the industry, as director of marketing for ARI, a technology solutions company based in Milwaukee, Wis.
CycleTrader.com Announces Mobile Advertising Options for Dealers
The new advertising solutions now available on CycleTrader.com include homepage sponsorship opportunities, interstitial ads, search page sponsorship ads and dealer gallery “in-photo” carousel ads. Sponsorships are available by DMA (Designated Market Area) and by state, based on overall mobile traffic in those markets or states.
MAG Announces Personnel Changes within Several Brands
Vance & Hines, Performance Machine and MAG’s international operations are the primary groups involved in a restructuring of senior management to support future growth opportunities.
Kawasaki Partners with Traffic Log Pro
The move allows Kawasaki dealers to have one place to track their vehicle leads, manage these leads and convert them into sales. These leads will be moved in real time from Kawasaki to Traffic Log Pro, enabling dealers to receive email inquiries consumers make on Kawasaki’s two- and four-wheel products shortly after the consumer clicks the send button.
Global Demand for Motorcycle Components to Reach $119.5 Billion in 2017
The global market for motorcycle components, including those for electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric motorcycles (e-cycles), is forecast to expand 7.5 percent annually, according to The Freedonia Group, an international business research company.
Polaris Announces Record Second Quarter Net Income
The OEM reports net income of $80.0 million, or $1.13 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, up 15 percent from the prior year’s second quarter net income of $69.8 million, or $0.98 per diluted share. Sales for the second quarter 2013 totaled a record $844.8 million, an increase of 12 percent over last year’s second quarter sales of $755.4 million.
Does Your Dealership Hire Experienced, Sales-Focused Counter People?
The parts, garments and accessories (PG&A) department is one of the most important parts of your overall business. Read on to evaluate your parts manager’s processes.
Powersports Values Show Predictable Seasonal Shifts
The motorcycle and powersports market picks up right where we left off last month with numbers that look very similar to what we’ve seen in the previous couple of months. Values are up where they should be, but by very small amounts. Most segments (cruisers, off-road, on/off-road, scooter, street and utility bikes) are up between
The Buzz About Electric Motorcycles
Would-be players have come and gone, but the corner has finally turned and electric motorcycles are now a viable alternative for powersports dealers.
Powersports Values Show Predictable Seasonal Shifts
Values are up where they should be, but by very small amounts. Most segments (cruisers, off-road, on/off-road, scooter, street and utility bikes) are up by between one-half and 1 percent.
ARI Announces Third Quarter Financial Results
Total revenue for the quarter was $8.2 million, a 44.0 percent increase over the third quarter of fiscal year 2012. Recurring revenue for the quarter increased 60.1 percent to $7.7 million, or 93.0 percent of total revenue, from $4.8 million, or 83.7 percent of total revenue, for the same period in fiscal 2012.
Mobile Security Reality Check
Your smartphone, whether you want to admit it or not, is your lifeline. Read on to find out how you can give it the utmost protection.
You Can’t Manage It If You Can’t Measure It
We’ll be comparing March data from a good-performing metric 20-group with the national norm numbers and the averages for the Top 5 dealers for this group in each category. Hmm … total store sales are down from last year through March. As you will see below, this is not attributed to unit sales. The overall
ARI Network Services Named One of Wisconsin’s Fastest-Growing Public Companies
The company has been ranked in The Business Journal’s Top 25 list for the fourth time in five years. All public companies headquartered in Wisconsin with a stock price of $1 or more between February and April 2012 and positive revenue growth from fiscal 2011 to 2012 were considered for the list.
Harley-Davidson’s First Quarter Earnings Rise Sharply
Harley-Davidson Inc.’s (NYSE: HOG) first quarter 2013 diluted earnings per share increased 33.8 percent on higher motorcycle shipments and continued improvement in operating efficiencies, compared to the year-ago period. First quarter net income was $224.1 million on consolidated revenue of $1.57 billion, compared to net income of $172 million in the year-ago period on consolidated revenue of $1.43 billion.
Sales Slightly Lower, But Spring is Right Around the Corner
This month finds the powersports market cranking up for spring. Values are up for all segments except snowmobiles, but by slightly lower amounts than normally expected at this time of the year. With record snowfalls in the Northeast coming too late in the year to nudge prices upwards, this month’s negative 2.4 percent decline in