American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 244 November 2019 | Page 26

Rinehart Racing Tackles Congressman on
BRIEFS Tariff Impacts
NEWS
Marietta, GA. based Yamaha Motor
Corp., USA, is pledging up to
$500,000 in Yamaha Outdoor Access
Initiative (OAI) grant funds for 2019
to support ventures protecting
outdoor recreation. Yamaha is
actively seeking organizations who
can utilize the available funds and
encourages interested parties to
learn more about the program at
YamahaOAI.com. As part of this
effort, Yamaha has already awarded
more than $130,000 in funding and
equipment to 13 organizations in the
current funding cycle.
British "luxury" helmet
manufacturer Hedon is to
supply BMW with classic and
custom-inspired helmets. The
London-based company is
known for its eclectic mix of
retro-styled open and full-face
lids. Despite that retro
aesthetic, Hedon says its
helmets are made with modern
materials and features,
including fibreglass/carbon fibre
shells, anti-bacterial fabrics and
multi-channel ventilation
systems.
The German Association of Energy
and Water Industries (BDEW) says
that the number of public EV
charging stations rose more than 50
percent from summer 2018 to
summer 2019. Germany currently
has 20,650 stations, up from 13,500
the previous year - sufficient to
power up 13 million EVs, or 30% of
all German cars of all types currently
in use; 12% are rapid charging
stations. There are now more EVs on
the road in Germany than in any
European country, although the
percentage of Germans driving
electric cars still lags behind nations
like Norway. Germany's 16 federal
states.
Crowdfunding continues to be
the 'go to' source for idea-rich,
capital-poor proto E-Bike
brands. First seen in prototype
guise at the 2018 'Milan' Show,
would-be British manufacturer
ARC has embarked on a second
phase of a long-term funding
program that is said to already
include investment from Jaguar
Land Rover's Venture Capital
fund InMotion Venture. ARC says
it plans to produce 390 ARC
Vectors to sell at GBP £90,000
each (approx. US $115,000/Euro
100,000). Best of luck with that
plan boys!
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The MIC says that its members
continue to see benefits from
this spring's annual MIC Capitol
Hill Fly-In. Congressman Mark
Meadows visited Rinehart
Racing's facility and its
employees in Asheville, North
Carolina, in August as a direct
result from the government
relations event.
In April, Judd Hollifield,
President and CEO of Rinehart
Racing, met with Meadows at
his Washington, D.C., office to
discuss MIC priorities for the
powersports industry. At that
meeting, Hollifield offered to
host Meadows at his company's
office and production facility, an
invitation the Congressman
accepted.
"It was an honor to show
Congressman Meadows our
American-made premier exhaust
systems, which are
manufactured right here in his
backyard," Hollifield said. "We
also had a chance to discuss the
significant impact that President
Trump's China tariffs are having
on our products. Even though
we have 100 percent American-
made products using American
steel and aluminum, the tariffs
have really affected our
business," Hollifield said.
"With the tariffs making Chinese
products more expensive, our
American suppliers have taken
an opportunistic approach and
increased their prices, driving up
our supply chain's raw material
costs and lead times.
"We have seen costs rise by as
much as 30 percent for
aluminum and 40 percent for
steel. Moreover, our lead times
have gone from two to four
weeks to as much as 16 to 20
weeks, slowing production."
Hollifield said: "The
Congressman committed to
bring that message back to
Trump administration officials."
Scott Schloegel, MIC Senior Vice
President of Government
Relations, went on to say:
"When lawmakers visit MIC
members' facilities in their
legislative districts, it helps
reinforce the significant job and
economic impact the
powersports industry has across
the country. These are exactly
the type of relationships that we
strive to establish with our
annual Fly-Ins."
www.rinehartracing.com
Data Shows Powersports Among
Largest Outdoor Recreation
Activities in USA
The MIC (Irvine, California) says that
motorcycling, ATV riding and side-by-
side driving are among the country’s
five largest traditional or conventional
outdoor recreation activities in the
United States - when ranked by
economic output - according to U.S.
Bureau of Economic Analysis data.
This was the first time that the BEA
provided preliminary data on
economic contribution in all 50 states
and the District of Columbia,
demonstrating how important
outdoor recreation is to both local
business as well as the nation’s gross
domestic product.
According to the BEA release, its
Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account
“shows that inflation-adjusted (real)
GDP for the outdoor recreation
economy grew by +3.9 percent in
2017, faster than the +2.4 percent
growth of the overall U.S. economy.
Real gross output, compensation and
employment all grew faster in outdoor
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - NOVEMBER 2019
recreation than for the economy as a
whole.”
The bureau defines “conventional”
outdoor recreation as activities done
for pleasure, such as camping, hiking,
hunting and fishing, and involving
some physical effort.
“We have long known that
motorcycling, ATV riding and side-by-
side driving are major contributors to
the economy, to our country’s GDP, in
so many ways,” said Tim Buche,
outgoing President and CEO of the
MIC. “We boost local economies, too,
and not just through powersports
dealers and retailers. Our enthusiasts
book hotel stays, pay park fees, buy
food, supplies and other gear they
need for all sorts of great outdoor
adventures. All of that makes them,
and our industry, a powerful economic
engine that merits the attention of
policymakers and those who manage
public lands.”
The BEA data reveals that outdoor
recreation accounts for +2.2 percent
of U.S. GDP, creating $778 billion in
gross output, supporting 5.2 million
jobs. Outdoor recreation in the United
States is responsible for a larger share
of GDP than many major industries,
including chemical products
manufacturing, farming and ranching,
mining, and utilities.
www.AMDchampionship.com