UTV Sales: Recession Proof?

by Jeff Henson

I just finished up a complete UTV buyer's guide for UTV Off-Road Magazine, and am currently in the middle of putting together a complete off-road motorcycle, ATV and UTV buyer's guide for Digital Dirt Magazine. It's tedious work, gathering up an abbreviated list of the most important specifications for each model, tracking down manufacturer's suggested retail pricing and coming up with sixty to one-hundred words on the key features of each machine.

Frequently, and due to staring at my laptop screen for far too long, I have to take a break in order to make sense of all the different engine displacements, suspension travel numbers and color options. "Oh look," I'll say to myself in absolute delirium, wishing the end was near, "this one also comes in a Ted Nugent, Zebra Stripe Camo Special Edition, with color matched gun scabbards."  The list goes on. It seems like it was just yesterday that there were less than ten UTV models to choose from. Come to think of it - it was yesterday!

My Buyer's Guide includes models from the top UTV manufacturers - Arctic Cat, BRP Can-Am, Honda, John Deere, Kawasaki, Kymco and Polaris, the latter of which has been the most aggressive at bringing new models to the market. Looking at my complete list of now FIFTY-FIVE different UTVs to choose from, Polaris models number thirty. Check it! That's more than all of the other manufacturers combined. There's the Polaris Ranger RZR line-up, which includes the new RZR 900 XP, a $16,000 sand dune dominator that Polaris dealers can't seem to keep on their showroom floors. The same goes for the RZR4 four-seat model and fifty-inch wide trail RZR. The full-size Ranger models have always been popular, available in standard versions or Ranger Crew six-seat models. The latter is even available with a diesel engine. Then there are the value minded mid-sized models available in 400cc and 500cc displacements, and the all-electric Ranger EV.

While Polaris is obviously leading the charge in the UTV market, and doing so with great success, others have caught on and are fighting for market share. Arctic Cat is set to release its new Wildcat 1000i H.O. sport side-by-side, targeted at challenging the Polaris RZR XP 900 with more displacement and suspension travel. John Deere has just released information on its new Gator XUV550 S4, a four-seat UTV, and it looks as if Kawasaki is prepared to announce its own new four-seat UTV, the Teryx4. Can-am continues to press forward with its impressive Commander line-up by utilizing race-bred and adventurous trail options, including a 976cc Rotax EFI V-twin. Can-Am now offers a luxury Commander loaded with Air Control Suspension, FOX Racing piggy back shocks, an onboard air compressor, Garmin Montana 650t touchscreen GPS, a four speaker sound system and everything else you would ever want from a UTV; Sticker price $19,199! That's a lot of 'consumer confidence' right there, but I've actually seen a few of these out on the trail.

These machines are selling! Even beyond UTV dealerships, the affect has created an aftermarket explosion of companies selling products that include billet aluminum dress up kits, roofs and windshields, complete cab enclosures, extra storage, long-travel suspension kits, motor hop up kits... and more. Kolpin has done well with its own line of UTV accessories, which number many.

When the Yamaha Rhino first hit the scene and started the side-by-side craze, most of us inside the power sports media thought the four-wheeled mini-Jeeps were pretty cool, but soon to be just another fad. Boy were we wrong!

UTVs are here to stay; with offerings that will satisfy everyone from the farmers harvesting their crops, to the weekend warriors blazing trails and racing on off-road tracks. The creators of these four-wheeled fun wagons have managed to find growth and competitive satisfaction in an industry that has otherwise fallen a little flat with the times. Once considered a fad, UTVs have spawned new businesses, revitalized others and perhaps even put a small dent in unemployment lines. That's the type of "stimulus" we can all get behind.