2020 ARCTIC CAT
@westlife_0
Will they stick around?
Yes. Arctic Cat isn’t going anywhere. Cat’s Vice President, Craig Kennedy, told us in a press conference in September, “I want to put those rumors to bed.” Kennedy discussed a lot of things, from communication to dealers (more on that in another answer), but added “There have been lots of questions with what we’re doing and why. Certainly we’ve made a lot of changes. But honestly, we’re just trying to concentrate on running a great business, and trying to get back to a profitable business—not only for ourselves, but for our dealer network.”
@kjellkriminell123
Where is that 146” Hardcore mountain sled? Would be the most awesome rock n roll sled ever. Don’t even mention the Riot 146 please.
An Alpha One 146 would be a heck of a play sled, for sure. Maybe we’ll see that soon. But right now, Arctic Cat is focusing on the models that sell a high number of units. If you haven’t noticed, their lineup is smaller than it used to be. An Alpha One 146 would sell, but maybe just a handful for the first year. Arctic Cat isn’t in a position to develop sleds that don’t sell in mass quantities. The market is the 154 and 165 right now.
@jordansobetski24
Why doesn’t Cat make an 850 yet?
Arctic Cat spent a ton of R&D resources in developing two engines over the last half decade: The C-TEC2 600 and the C-TEC2 800. They’re awesome engines. Their only fault is that one of them didn’t happen to be an 850. If that happened, the 2018 Arctic Cat Mountain Cat would’ve been an 850 the same year Ski-Doo came out with an 850. But that’s not what happened, and Arctic Cat has an 800 that’s pretty competitive with the other two 850s. Maybe we’ll see one from Cat in a while.
@eric.groh.70
Is the rail strong or would it beat the track up?
The mono rail is as strong as a conventional twin rail skid. Arctic Cat engineers say it’s actually stronger, but then people lose their minds when one or two get bent (when 30 or 40 twin rail skids get bent over the same time range). Go figure. No, it doesn’t beat the track up.
@stevewalsh2975
Why has Textron / Arctic Cat shut down most of the middle to small dealerships? especially in Colorado. What is the point of Arctic Cat building a mountain sled when there is no dealerships or factory support?
Arctic Cat needed to reduce costs. It needed to reduce the number of sleds it builds. It needed to reduce its carry-over inventory. The only way to accomplish that is to reduce the number of dealers it has nationwide. Arctic Cat’s VP Craig Kennedy said in a September press conference, “Things fall apart when you over-build snowmobiles,” he explained. “We don’t want to load up a dealer network. We don’t want carry-overs. The changes were to reduce inventory.” Kennedy also said, “Moving forward, we will work with dealers and have a very good strategy—a multi-year plan,” he said. “We are working on things. We have a team of a hundred engineers still working on things. We have 850 employees working up at Thief River … we are making sure they have a future, they have a job.”
It may be harder to find an Arctic Cat, but your Arctic Cat will hold more resale value without a bunch of holdovers sitting in a bunch of dealers all over the country.
@jackfros12
Is it really 90% the same machine that came out in 2012?
Not even close. The 2020 Alpha One has very little in common with the 2012 Arctic Cat M800. The complete rear suspension, track, snow flap, tunnel, cooling system, running boards, seat, fuel tank, steering post, handlebars, controls, gauges, hood, side panels, engine, intake, bulkhead, clutches, belt, drivetrain, front suspension, shocks and skis have all changed since 2012.
@robclarkemotorsportsinc
More interested in the strength of the rear tunnel section. Has it been upgraded since 18s?
In 2018, the rear tunnel section on the Mountain Cat was lightened with a thinner aluminum material. It has stayed that way through 2019 and 2020 model years. Fortunately, it’s modular and can be replaced.