International Dealer News IDN 119 June/July 2014 | Page 17

THE AMERICAN REPORT

New chair for MIC Aftermarket Committee
ARNOLD W. Ackerman, chairman
emeritus and founder of the
Motorsport Aftermarket Group (MAG),
has accepted the appointment of
Chair of Motorcycle Industry Council's
(MIC) Aftermarket/Allied Trade
Committee. Ackerman will be
replacing the committee’s previous
Chair, Steve Johnson, who was the
President and Chief Operating Officer
of Tucker Rocky Distributing for 12
years before retiring in 2012.
“As we continue to focus on
strengthening our industry’s recovery,
we are excited to have a key
contributor like Arnie Ackerman lead
our Aftermarket Committee”, said
Dennis McNeal, MIC Chair and Vice
President Motorcycle Operations at

Yamaha Motor Corporation. “Arnie’s
resume is filled with industry
experience, and he’s no stranger to
the MIC. He’s worked with and
supported the MIC on a variety of
projects and issues over the years, and
we look forward to Arnie’s leadership
as he takes the helm of this industrycritical committee”.
Ackerman, a lifelong motorcycle
enthusiast whose ties to the industry
run deep, founded Motorsport
Aftermarket Group in 2000.
“Our industry is facing persistent
and ongoing challenges and some
never-before-seen threats”, said
Ackerman. “A strong MIC is necessary
to combat these threats and at the
same time to be able to offer sensible

solutions. The MIC Aftermarket/Allied
Trade Committee’s cadre of board
members represents all aspects of our
industry and is qualified and ready to
take on the challenge”.

Arnold W. Ackerman

Record first quarter for Polaris
POLARIS Industries has reported that
net sales for the first quarter 2014
totalled $888.3 million, up 19
percent (from $745.9 m).
Motorcycle Division sales
increased 52 percent in the 2014 first
quarter to $78.9 million due to the
shipments of the new model year
2014 Indian motorcycles. Consumer
retail demand for Polaris motorcycles,
driven by strong Indian Motorcycle
retail sales, was up about 50 percent
during the 2014 first quarter, while
first quarter North American industry
heavyweight cruiser and touring
motorcycle retail sales were up lowsingle digits percent from 2013.
Sales of Polaris motorcycles
outside of North America increased
140 percent in the first quarter of
2014 as compared to a year ago,
driven by strong shipments of Indian
motorcycles.
International sales to customers
outside of North America totalled

FIRST QUARTER PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
(in thousands except per share data)
Three Months ended March 31,

Product Line Sales
Off-Road Vehicles
Snowmobiles
Motorcycles
Small Vehicles
Parts, Garments & Accessories
Total Sales

2014
$602,843
15,586
78,867
38,483
152,567
$888,346

2013
$541,272
14,714
51,797
11,059
127,067
$745,909

Change
11%
6%
52%
248%
20%
19%

Gross Profit
Gross profit as a % of sales

$258,417
29.1%

$216,648
29.0%

19%
+10 bps

$165.1 million for the 2014 first
quarter, up 44 percent over the same
period in 2013. The increase in first
quarter sales resulted from strong
sales growth in the Europe, Middle
East and Africa region with sales up
about 50 percent; over two-thirds
coming from the April 2013
acquisition of Aixam, and a 28

Vectrix Bankrupt
BASED at New Bedford, Massachusetts, with an
assembly plant in Wrocław, Poland, Vectrix ceased
all US operations as of December 31, 2013,
although at that point it was planned to maintain
the plant in Poland to fulfil obligations under a
joint venture agreement with Daimler AG's Smart
division.
However in April the company's owners, Chinese
battery manufacturer Gold Peak, filed for Chapter
7 bankruptcy for Vectrix in the US courts.
First introduced in 2006, the Vectrix was a maxisize scooter, and was said to be the first
commercially available high performance electric
scooter. Plagued by battery and production issues,
the company first entered into a sequence of

percent combined increase in sales to
customers in the Asia/Pacific and
Latin America regions. Both ORV and
motorcycles gained market share
outside of North America during the
2014 first quarter..

bankruptcy actions designed to protect it from its
creditors in 2009, with its assets ultimately being
acquired by the Chinese
Gold Peak battery group at
the end of that year.
At EICMA in November 2013 Vectrix still actively
marketing the brand and promoting new battery
technology within weeks of Chinese parent company
Gold Star Battery suspending operations

POWERSPORTS
INSIDERS
Brembo has celebrated the
opening of its expanded
North American
manufacturing operations at
Homer, Michigan, where the
company is investing more
than $115 million to expand
a facility that houses
production of brake discs
and calipers and assembly
module manufacturing. North
America will become the
number one market for the
group by the end of 2014 last year saw a 19.4 percent
increase in US revenue, with
a 27.7 percent increase
during the first quarter of
this year. The growth is due
to the 2007 purchase of the
Hayes-Lemmerz Automotive
Brake Component division,
which included the Homer
plant, the largest of
Brembo's facilities in North
America, and substantial
growth in its US-based OEM
business.
Noted for budget priced minibikes and go-karts sold through
"big box" retailers in the US,
MotoVox is set to start selling
higher value, lower-emission,
super-economical small
recreational vehicles through
powersports industry dealerships.
Parent company APT (American
Performance Technology) is said
to have invested $20m at its
Kansas City, Missouri facility since
2008, and hopes to score higher
margins from a new improved
specification, higher performance
Pro-Line product range that will
include a 150cc on-road
production motorcycle - for which
they are claiming delivery of
between 100 and 150 mpg, using
patented "SmartCarb"
technology.
Suzuki say that strong US
sales are being driven by
availability of the 2014 VStr om 1000 ABS and 2014
Burgman 200 ABS, with April
sales gains in the standard,
touring motorcycle, and
utility ATV categories. The
company believes it is
benefiting from strong race
results in the US this spring.

JUN/JUL 2014

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