International Dealer News 165 Feb/Mar 2022 IDN165 Feb/Mar 2022 | Page 18

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Polaris has struck a deal with Qmerit , " a leader in green energy transformation with the largest nationwide network of certified electrical installers for EV charging , to provide a simple and convenient home-charging installation service solution for Polaris ' customers in USA ," says Steve Menneto , President of Off-Road . " With the launch of our new RANGER XP Kinetic , customers want a turnkey solution for fast , accessible charging . Qmerit will be the ' go-to ' resource for Polaris and our dealers to support these customers ' needs ."
If Honda can enter the space industry , then why not Sony Corp in the EV market ? Sony has created a new division to ' explore entering ' the market and unveiled an Electric SUV prototype - Sony ' s Vision-S sport utility vehicle - at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January . Sony unveiled a prototype electric vehicle called the Vision-S sedan two years ago . This was viewed mainly as a way to promote the batteries and sensors the group sells to other car manufacturers . The Vision-S has been road tested in Europe since 2020 . If or when the project matures , it is unclear as to whether Sony plans to do the manufacturing themselves or outsource the construction of Sony designs to a third party .
AMA Hall of Famer and leading offroad and motocross racer Preston Petty has died . His career spanned the 1950s through the early 1970s and he was the owner of Petty Plastics , a ground-breaking plastic motorcycle component business that changed the face of motorcycle racing . Petty passed away on Jan . 16 . He was 81 .
As part of its plans to mark its 60th anniversary , Brembo is planting a forest of 14,000 trees . The initiative , in partnership with Treedom , involves all Group employees . It will reduce CO2 in the atmosphere and support local farming communities . The Brembo Forest will be planted in Kenya , near Lake Victoria , where Brembo will work in partnership with web platform Treedom - the first such system to allow trees to be planted remotely and their stories followed online . Brembo aims to be a carbon neutral company by 2040 .

Bitubo Suspension - " We ' re coming to America !"

Internationally respected Italian suspension specialist Bitubo has announced the opening of a North American headquarters operation - Bitubo USA LLC , based in Miami , Florida . Renowned as world champion race suspension experts since 1963 , Bitubo has always had some sales in the United States and has a larger and broader product offer than most people in the United States realise . However , having seen positive results from its initial efforts to market the brand and products ( street and race product for ' mainstream '/ metric models as well as for H-D and Indian Motorcycle applications ), the company has now decided to " step it up another gear ". The company has hired ex-Tucker man Tom Owens as Director of Operations for Bitubo USA and former Progressive Suspension , Burly Brand and Performance Machine brand manager Sean Delshadi to drive demand as Marketing Director . Based near Padua in northern Italy , Bitubo is now in third generation Mardollo family ownership , with CEO Gianni Mardollo and current President Giorgia Mardollo implementing a development plan that has seen the company make substantial manufacturing investments too . These have included successfully commissioning modern state-of-theart manufacturing capabilities with full ISO 9001 certification , plus ABE and TÜV compliances .
Its streamlined production processes have been matched by a major investment into increased resources for what was already widely regarded as an industry-leading research and development centre . Gianni Mardollo ( CEO - Bitubo SRL ) stated that " the development of U . S . sales and marketing started several years ago and has certainly contributed to the growth in our turnover . At the same time , it highlighted even greater opportunities for expansion . Our priority has been to make sure that we can scale up to meet the demand we are generating without compromising the manufacturing precision or suspension performance quality that the Bitubo brand has been known for . " After nearly 60 years , the creation of our American branch is a fundamental and logical next step to help us meet the growing demand for Bitubo suspension components in a U . S .
Left to right : Sean Delshadi , Marketing Director ; Giorgia Mardollo , President ; Gianni Mardollo , CEO ; Tom Owens , Director of Operations .
market that rewards quality product and service ." Giorgia Mardollo ( President - Bitubo LLC ) stated : " With the birth of our American branch we complete the first cycle of the prestigious goals that we set ourselves . I am very proud to begin this new challenge . Now , with Bitubo LLC , we are embarking on a five-year development plan that will see us firmly committed to one of the world ' s most important markets . One where we expect to grow thanks to the undisputed quality of our products and the rapid delivery and service we can now provide ." Sean Delshadi will be leveraging his considerable industry experience in driving premium brands and building demand . Delshadi has 15 years of experience with California based powerhouse brands such as PM , Progressive and Burly . Tested and developed with fatigue and destructive tests in software and dynamic simulations , on the race
circuit and on the street , Bitubo is successfully engaged in WSBK , BSB , CIV , CEV , IDM and many other national championships around the world . www . bitubo . com
18 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 www . idnmag . com