2020 Release

[T-Bone]

Push the reply at the bottom right of who you are talking to

Yamaha didn't stop designing new sleds after the nitro, they fine tuned the cat chassis to fit the vector & turbo motors. I'm willing to bet what ever is coming in February is going to be good ... it's been waiting for a long time . & it will be mostly Yamaha design because Arctic cat money troubles won't have enough funding for them to have something new.

I know it is just an opinion and we all have our own, but I respectfully disagree with you. Nytro was introduced in 2008 and the agreement with AC was 2014 with the Sidewinder in 2017. How would Yamaha know that they were going to be using an AC chassis is 2008? Its now almost 2019. years (08 is enough time for three major revisions to chassis and engines. . To me that is one of the biggest Yamaha mysteries. What is Yamaha thinking about future sled design during those 6 years before the AC Agreement. At this point, anything that they would have been working on from 08 - 14, is already outdated. Not sure we will ever know what was going on during that time. I wish Chris Reed would enlighten us as to what they were doing other than bolt on components and possibly the Sidewinder engine.

 

[Wannaviper]

We have now reached 75 pages of "speculation", and in many instances, "frustration" over what the future holds for Yamaha and snowmobiling. I have to give Yamaha credit for the inventory reduction plan and their silence regarding the future of snowmobiling. We recently bought a used Sidewinder for my stepson, and I am going through "sled-envy." I want one!!!!! What do I do? All the speculation that says Yamaha snowmobiling is history, combined with the good deals on Sidewinders right now, makes me want to go out and buy one. (Score one for inventory reduction.) Personally, I have faith that Yamaha will be there for us in 2020 and beyond, so I am fighting the urge to buy the leftover Sidewinder, but I suspect that Yamaha's silence, and the all the fears about next year and beyond have caused a lot of people to go out and buy a Viper or Sidewinder while they still can.

 

[tommyt5078]

Yamaha's inventory reduction plan got me to buy a Skidoo............hopefully they have something going on to get me back! If not time will tell what I will drive in the future!

 

[Rtbo]

I was just calling dealers in ny looking for a 18 ltx le and got talking to the owner of dealership about the spring only sleds and how he has no inventory and he wants more sleds. We got talking about where we think they are heading and he said that his rep told him to stock up on 2 stroke oil. And there was talk about a more powerful sled than the sidewinder. But now the bad, he said 2 years away. Don’t kill the messenger just what I was told so take it with a grain of salt

 

[Tarzan]

Someone heard there was dealers being told they aren’t getting all the sleds they ordered
Hard to sell them when cat won’t deliver them
They’ve got pissed off customers now.

 

[yamajammer76]

The Intrepid Snowmobiler
8. desember kl. 13:32 ·

ARCTIC CAT In TROUBLE? Textron, owner of Arctic Cat snowmobiles, filed this report this week with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and reading between the lines of corporate gobble-de-gook, it appears that things aren’t going well for Arctic Cat...

On December 4, 2018, our Board of Directors approved a plan to restructure the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses within our Industrial segment. We expect to incur pre-tax charges in the range of $60 million to $85 million under this plan, which will be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Textron Specialized Vehicles has undergone significant changes since the acquisition of Arctic Cat as we have expanded the product portfolio and integrated manufacturing operations and retail distribution. As disclosed in our Form 10-Q filed for the third quarter of 2018, the operating results for these businesses were significantly below our expectations as dealer sell-through lagged despite the introduction of new products into our dealer network. Management conducted a strategic review of the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses, which included an assessment of the acquired dealer network and go-to-market strategy for the Textron Off Road and Arctic Cat brands, as well as cost reduction initiatives throughout the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses. The restructuring plan will result in the impairment of intangible assets, primarily related to product rationalization, the elimination of approximately 400 positions, representing approximately 10% of Textron Specialized Vehicles’ workforce, and closure of several factory-direct turf-care branch locations and a manufacturing facility. The restructuring actions under this plan are expected to result in improved operating results for these businesses.
Severance and related costs for this plan are estimated to be in the range of $10 million to $15 million. Contract termination and other facility closure charges are estimated to be in the range of $5 million to $15 million. Impairment charges are estimated to be in the range of $45 million to $55 million and largely relate to acquired intangible assets. Expected cash outlays in connection with this plan are estimated to be in the range of $15 million to $30 million, with up to $10 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the remainder in 2019. We anticipate that this plan will be substantially completed by the end of 2018.

Well I don't think Textron is in trouble, but if you look at their industrial segment which is where Arctic Cat products along with all consumer and off road products fall you can see a very poor result of only $1 million in profit in the latest quarter. Last year they reported $49 million profit in the same segment. Something is pulling that segment way down. Hmm...

The biggest thing to remember is Textron is a corporation totally focused on shareholder value. Even if a segment is making a profit if it's a poor showing the shareholders notice and management will go after it. Arctic Cat survived on pride over profit for many years as a standalone company. Textron will demand they perform. Heck I'd even say if it wasn't for the huge amount of pride Yamaha has in their products the sleds would have been discontinued years ago. IMHO The whole partnership with Cat came about because Yamaha corporate in Japan was losing too much money on sleds, but had too much pride to stop selling them.

 

[Mileage Quest]

People always seem to forget the impact the 2012 tsunami had on manufacturing in Japan... I think it impacted sled manufacturing more then most the members on this site realize... I can see Cat folding under Textron and Yamaha USA manufacturing sleds in the TRF plant after a buyout... With the looming tariffs and trade “war” it would be to expensive to manufacture over seas and ship to North America!!!

 

[Mototown]

I know it is just an opinion and we all have our own, but I respectfully disagree with you. Nytro was introduced in 2008 and the agreement with AC was 2014 with the Sidewinder in 2017. How would Yamaha know that they were going to be using an AC chassis is 2008? Its now almost 2019. years (08 is enough time for three major revisions to chassis and engines. . To me that is one of the biggest Yamaha mysteries. What is Yamaha thinking about future sled design during those 6 years before the AC Agreement. At this point, anything that they would have been working on from 08 - 14, is already outdated. Not sure we will ever know what was going on during that time. I wish Chris Reed would enlighten us as to what they were doing other than bolt on components and possibly the Sidewinder engine.

2011 Apex was in there after the nitro , not really earth shattering chassis, but full of high tech stuff on sled . There next big chassis release was do in 12-14 . A good point mileage Quest 2012 tsunami... then Arctic Cat . So I believe there has been a sled chassis sitting on the drawing board waiting from around 2012 ...they were also snowcross racing during time driving development design of new chassis. only 6-8 weeks more ....

 

[T-Bone]

2011 Apex was in there after the nitro , not really earth shattering chassis, but full of high tech stuff on sled . There next big chassis release was do in 12-14 . A good point mileage Quest 2012 tsunami... then Arctic Cat . So I believe there has been a sled chassis sitting on the drawing board waiting from around 2012 ...they were also snowcross racing during time driving development design of new chassis. only 6-8 weeks more ....

2011 Apex was a refresh with bolt on improvements. Not a new sled in my opinion. If a new Yamaha chassis has been around since 2012, it is already outdated. Yeah its only 2 months till 2020 are out, but i don't think we will get any insight into Yamahas future and the direction they are going in. We will only know what they released in 2020. Again, its just an opinion.

 

[soldi]

2019 is the year to change things up dealer patients is growing thin.. spring order only is also not a good deal for dealers.. products that fly of the shelf is.

Could Yamaha have bought and developed the Suzuki 2stroke (just to not have to reinvent the wheel) if not I demand Suzuki enters the snowmobile world again..

 

[rtx moose]

It means nothing. Patent filings are for the technology being patented, not a new sled design. Yamaha uses similar drawing to current vehicles only to show location of said technology. It's not to show a prototype of a new machine at all. Anyone who thinks those are prototype drawings of coming machines are fools.

If the drawing happens to resemble an older sled model, it may have been on the drawing board that long as well. Now if the patent is something like a carbon fiber frame component, or something that would require a larger chassis (Turbo, Supercharger) then the drawing may have more relevance. Otherwise, it literally is just a basic shape to show that this patent is for a Snowmobile/snowmachine of some sort and not a wheeled vehicle like a Quad or SXS.

the patents do show new frames just not the outside structure...and carbon fiber details

 

[biffdotorg]

If it applies to the patent they do. That's a different filing for the CF frame. You are right, that would be included as it is part of the application.

The other patent apps were for Supercharger/Turbo options on 3 and 4 cylinder engines. And these drawings were only similar to sleds as the application was on a sled, and had to be represented as such. But by no means, was it to show what the new sled may look like, other than it had a track and skis similar to "a snowmobile" and not a SXS or Motorcycle, or watercraft. Any similarity is purely coincidence.

 

[Clyder6R]

What if....after all this speculation and frustration. Nothing changes with their line up except for a few colors and being spring order only...I can hear screams! haha

 

[whitedust1]

What if....after all this speculation and frustration. Nothing changes with their line up except for a few colors and being spring order only...I can hear screams! haha

BNG means still in the biz nothing to get excited about wait until 2021.

 

[Attack gt]

Yamaha's inventory reduction plan got me to buy a Skidoo............hopefully they have something going on to get me back! If not time will tell what I will drive in the future!

I hear ya! I did the same thing. I would never have thought I would be on a Ski doo but here I am... Rocking a 850. I love the sled and am happy with it but I am a Yamaha guy so as soon as they get us something similar to these 850's, if they do, I will be back.