International Dealer News IDN 145 October/November 2018 | Page 14

news ROOM Hoco Parts owner INSIDERS buys DC AFAM POWERSPORTS Polaris is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the introduction of its popular Ranger SxS vehicle series. Since 1998 the company has produced more than 1m UTVs at its Huntsville, Alabama factory. BRP has inaugurated its new, modernised manufacturing facility at Valcourt, Quebec. The installation of a new ultramodern production equipment for Can- Am Spyder vehicle and Ski-Doo snowmobile assembly lines “increases the facility’s efficiency, flexibility for innovation and engineering, and optimises its manufacturing infrastructure and logistics.” BRP is owner of Austrian engine manufacturer Rotax. The UTV World Championship will return to Laughlin, Nevada, on April 4- 7 2019 for a fifth annual event that is set to capitalise on the 150,000 worldwide live stream audience reached this year. Robert C. Fox, Jr. has retired from the board of directors of Fox Factory, the company he founded in 1974. In 1976, Kent Howerton won the 500 cc AMA Motocross National Championship on Bob’s AirShox and Marty Smith followed with another 500 cc championship for FOX in 1977 - Fox Factory was born the following year. Powersports Distribution Group (PDG), owner of Dutch distribution businesses Hoco Parts and Motoria, has acquired Nazareth, Belgium ba sed sprockets, chains and batteries specialist DC AFAM from German owner KettenWulf. With the acquisition of DC AFAM, PDG further positions itself as a leading European wholesaler of premium motorcycle parts and accessories, and as a preferred partner for its customers, suppliers and employees. PDG has the ambition to pursue DC AFAM’s successful growth strategy and to further develop the long-term partnerships that DC AFAM has established with its suppliers and customers. Well known sprocket manufacturer AFAM was established in France in 1978 and Dynachains a year later in Belgium as two entirely separate, independent businesses. German manufacturer KettenWulf acquired Dynachains in 1992 and AFAM in 2002, combining the two businesses as DC AFAM in 2003. DC AFAM also sells oil filters under the ISON brand and entered the highly SHIDO Connect LiFePO4, described as the “first smart battery ever”, a Bluetooth enabled battery that connects to an Android or Apple smartphone via Bluetooth so that the rider can stay informed on the health of the lithium battery in real time competitive lithium ion battery market with SHIDO in 2011. Earlier this year they launched the SHIDO Connect LiFePO4 – describing it as the “first smart battery ever”, a Bluetooth enabled battery that can be monitored Rieju to debut Cafe style 125 in real time via an Android or Apple smartphone. Details of the sale to PDG have not been released, but it marks a third addition to a recently set up ‘Buy and Build’ strategy business division established by Dutch equity investor Torqx Capital Partners. Headquartered near Amsterdam, the Torqx fund is a mid-market equity fund, € 150 million in size. It has backing from Torqx management and international institutional investors. Torqx, headed up by Managing Partner Peter Kroeze, says that it “invests in medium-sized companies that have the potential to become leaders in their field - using our experience, our network and our resources to help them get there.” www.afam.com EXHIBITOR www.hocoparts.com EXHIBITOR Garland, Texas based Sportsman Country has become the latest ATV/UTV distributor to announce that it is to enter the Electric Vehicle market, having signed a deal with Chinese EV innovator Kandi Technologies. BRP reported “strong momentum in North America powersports retail - up +16%, outpacing the industry” for Q2. August saw formal completion of the Triton Industries acquisition, the Lansing, Michigan based manufacturer of Manitou Pontoon Boats. The MTA/Motovan Dealer Expo at Scottsdale, Arizona in August saw 400 dealers attend an event that attracted over 100 vendors. MTA, founded in 1972 at Dearborn Michigan in 1972 as a specialist tyre distributor, was bought by Quebec based Motovan. Now headquartered at Corona, California and headed up by Greg Blackwell, MTA is a U.S. distributor for several well- known European brands including Five Gloves and Shot Race Gear (France), TCX Boots (Italy) and Liqui Moly (Germany). 14 Spanish manufacturer Rieju, the small capacity specialist, is exhibiting at INTERMOT and EICMA this year with several new model updates for 2019. Among them will be custom versions of the Cafe Racer style Century 125, a new Marathon 125AC and the first glimpse of INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 the new Tango series that will be available in multiple engine capacity versions. In additional news, the company’s new Bosch powered NUUK electric two-wheel moto range is now finalised and in mass production, offering a wide range of zero exhaust emission machines for low emission conscious fleet and consumer buyers. RIEJU SA Figueres (Girona), SPAIN Tel: [phone] [email protected] www.rieju.es