Photo: Yamaha
There's nothing more reassuring to individuals than knowing the things they grew up with will be around forever. The other side of the coin is that when such pillars of our existence crumble, one can't help from feeling lost.
If you are one with a passion for snow sports, especially the ones of the motorized variety, then you know Yamaha is one of the most important names in the field. On the U.S. market alone, for instance, the Japanese are selling at the time of writing 18 distinct snowmobiles, appealing to a wide range of tastes and requirements. But that won't be the case for much longer.
The company started its adventure in this segment back in 1968, when it launched the SL350. It wasn't some incredible piece of engineering, as it used an engine developed for the motorcycle side of the business, but it opened the doors for Yamaha to enter what has proven to be a very lucrative niche for it.
Since that moment 55 years ago, the Japanese have probably sold millions of them, across all families and for all uses, on almost all continents of this planet. But that stops as soon as this year.
Citing potential difficulties in continuing "a sustainable business in the snowmobile market," Yamaha said this week it plans to end production and sales of snowmobiles. The decision is a given, but the process will be phased out depending on market.
At first, the Japanese one, which already sells only in stock, will get no other Yamaha snowmobile past the 2022 model year currently available. Europe will follow, stopping at model year 2024, and North America will complete the closure of this business one year after that.
Because there are so many of its snowmobiles out there, and they'll probably continue to be long after the company stops making them, the Japanese say they will "ensure parts availability, service, and related customer satisfaction now and after the snowmobile final production run occurs."
The 2024 model year of the range, currently in the works, is still to be launched in the fall of 2023.
Yamaha says the effect of this decision on consolidated business results will be minor, but doesn't go into specifics. That's probably not what the company's dealers are feeling, but help will be provided for them to "minimize impact and best position their business over the next 12 – 36 months."
There is no plan to replace the snowmobile business, and all resources saved with the withdrawal "will go into current business activities and new growth markets."
The announcement is fresh, so the snowmobile market has not reacted to the news. It'll be interesting to see what the other players will do now that a major competitor is out of the way.
The company started its adventure in this segment back in 1968, when it launched the SL350. It wasn't some incredible piece of engineering, as it used an engine developed for the motorcycle side of the business, but it opened the doors for Yamaha to enter what has proven to be a very lucrative niche for it.
Since that moment 55 years ago, the Japanese have probably sold millions of them, across all families and for all uses, on almost all continents of this planet. But that stops as soon as this year.
Citing potential difficulties in continuing "a sustainable business in the snowmobile market," Yamaha said this week it plans to end production and sales of snowmobiles. The decision is a given, but the process will be phased out depending on market.
At first, the Japanese one, which already sells only in stock, will get no other Yamaha snowmobile past the 2022 model year currently available. Europe will follow, stopping at model year 2024, and North America will complete the closure of this business one year after that.
Because there are so many of its snowmobiles out there, and they'll probably continue to be long after the company stops making them, the Japanese say they will "ensure parts availability, service, and related customer satisfaction now and after the snowmobile final production run occurs."
The 2024 model year of the range, currently in the works, is still to be launched in the fall of 2023.
Yamaha says the effect of this decision on consolidated business results will be minor, but doesn't go into specifics. That's probably not what the company's dealers are feeling, but help will be provided for them to "minimize impact and best position their business over the next 12 – 36 months."
There is no plan to replace the snowmobile business, and all resources saved with the withdrawal "will go into current business activities and new growth markets."
The announcement is fresh, so the snowmobile market has not reacted to the news. It'll be interesting to see what the other players will do now that a major competitor is out of the way.
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