Those buttholes ride Snowbikes lol! Yahaha!
Arctic Cat in Trouble
- Thread starter GoBigParts
- Start date
It's ninebot. I think a chinese owner would actually be good. Get competition going again, and price effects
US Navy Buys Textron Minesweeper System
The US Navy has awarded Textron Systems a contract of up to $106 million for Mine Sweeping Payload Delivery Systems.
thedefensepost.com
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
Selecting the #Textron link at the bottom of that article brings up quite a few instances of Textron acquiring military contracts for various things.
The AC powersports option for a military contract makes as much sense why they picked them up in the first place. Without that, discard and move on.
The AC powersports option for a military contract makes as much sense why they picked them up in the first place. Without that, discard and move on.
I think they already have a buyer (speculation only I am not an industry insider). The new owner doesn’t want to get hung with all the legacy costs like Textron inherited. My biggest question is will it be an established company like John Deere or Yamaha that will rebrand it and sell it out of their own dealer network or will they keep the cat name and what’s left of the dealer network?
No need for you guys to tell me, I already do know I am full of sh*t.
No need for you guys to tell me, I already do know I am full of sh*t.
Last edited:
My Arctic Cat dealer is also a Kawasaki dealer. He hopes Kawasaki buys them. Said Kawasaki can't make enough Mules and this would give them the production they need. Also get them back into snowmobiles. One can hope.
Tariffs all posturing, 25% tariff wont happen
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I think if they get absorbed somewhere the name would stay the same.
Name recognition and if they need to part with it in the future it is a stand alone name.
Name recognition and if they need to part with it in the future it is a stand alone name.
Wish they had the power to do employee owned. That would be ideal and maybe keep it from being some ledger margin tax blah blah bs. Yeah you are right if the trump promises are kept ski so will take a hit . Didn’t think of that. Does ski do have any money? Maybe they could buy it and have North America all wraped up?
I wouldn't say "never" to the tariffs, but I don't think you'll see 25% going against many countries (should already be in place, and higher if anything, for China, but that's another story). I think some tariffs will happen, but not nearly as high as is being thrown around. Half the countries negotiate no tariffs, and maybe 5-10% against most of the remaining countries. It's definitely enough of a threat that most companies are paying attention, but I don't expect many to go all-out to avoid them until they happen.
As for a buyer, I don't think they've got one yet. What's coming from Textron is way too open-ended with too much potential for things to just shut down and not re-open. I can't imagine a scenario where it would make sense for Textron to be talking like they are when someone was already buying; what they're doing has a fair number of people convinced they're going out of business, and the effect of that isn't magically cured when a buyer shows up. That doesn't mean I don't think anyone's going to buy them, just that they way it's going right now says they haven't got anyone on the line.
I do think most buyers would keep the Arctic Cat name. Maybe I could see Honda being an exception, but I don't think they're interested. You're already dealing with a market dominated by Doo; keeping the branding as-is doesn't mean you automatically get all the Cat faithful in your fold (which you hope to grow, obviously), but it has to be better than starting with nothing (or rebooting a brand that's been out of the game). A few potential buyers would probably keep Cat going and sell sleds under their brand; I'd say that's more likely than killing the Cat brand in favor of your own.
As for a buyer, I don't think they've got one yet. What's coming from Textron is way too open-ended with too much potential for things to just shut down and not re-open. I can't imagine a scenario where it would make sense for Textron to be talking like they are when someone was already buying; what they're doing has a fair number of people convinced they're going out of business, and the effect of that isn't magically cured when a buyer shows up. That doesn't mean I don't think anyone's going to buy them, just that they way it's going right now says they haven't got anyone on the line.
I do think most buyers would keep the Arctic Cat name. Maybe I could see Honda being an exception, but I don't think they're interested. You're already dealing with a market dominated by Doo; keeping the branding as-is doesn't mean you automatically get all the Cat faithful in your fold (which you hope to grow, obviously), but it has to be better than starting with nothing (or rebooting a brand that's been out of the game). A few potential buyers would probably keep Cat going and sell sleds under their brand; I'd say that's more likely than killing the Cat brand in favor of your own.
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I can see carrying debt into the deal being a hard pill to swallow for a buyer. Initially I figured it would just be tough for a smaller buyer to absorb the debt, but even a larger buyer that you would think could absorb the debt better may still not see the number in their favor if AC is currently limited on market share. On the flip side, if they do a good job on engineering, design and marketing I could see them growing their portion of the market slightly but to a be a dominant force in the segment would take considerable time and resources.
Other parts of the internet blame snow in the Midwest. There’s a trail sled narket there that cat has had that is according to midwesterner’s really strong? It is what it is I guess. I used to restore antique motorcycles when I was young and there are so many brands you really never heard of that just went away. The only thing that really doesn’t make much since to me is why they did the 858 right before closing ? I mean that’s alot of work and tooling and foundry and parts suppliers and on and on just to close the doors. Couldn’t they have saved alot of money not doing that. No way they knee jerked that call. Had to have known. Maybe we will find out. There’s a bunch of 858s for sale now lol and to add insult to injury they are basically 20k and breaking so not so good . Man 
just can’t decide what to do anymore. I mean driving a ford is awful but a dodge? Ugh…Lol . Good thing there are brand new 24’s now for sale around 10k . I think it’s actually a great time to up grade your Polaris I’d you ride one.
just can’t decide what to do anymore. I mean driving a ford is awful but a dodge? Ugh…Lol . Good thing there are brand new 24’s now for sale around 10k . I think it’s actually a great time to up grade your Polaris I’d you ride one.I can't help but feel a bit sour over this..
Does anyone know if there is any recourse for the consumer in this situation?. I have a brand new 2025 sitting in my garage, zero km. Hasn't seen snow.
Now arctic cat going under with no indication that parts will be available in the future.
Not to mention the immediate devaluation. Already seeing dealers marking down new units..
What a big f u to Cat owners.
Brutal
Does anyone know if there is any recourse for the consumer in this situation?. I have a brand new 2025 sitting in my garage, zero km. Hasn't seen snow.
Now arctic cat going under with no indication that parts will be available in the future.
Not to mention the immediate devaluation. Already seeing dealers marking down new units..
What a big f u to Cat owners.
Brutal
I havn’t seen any discounts around me (3 dealers within 50 miles of house). Was kinda hopping to find one that was being “fire” sold from panic.
Yeah, I guess worst case scenario would be no parts available and/or warranty support. When I bought it, I had planned on keeping it 3-4 years so resale value is not as big a concern.
The hardest thing to understand for me is they developed and finally release a new chassis and engine, then close the doors. Makes no sense.
I truly don't know how this is going to end.
The hardest thing to understand for me is they developed and finally release a new chassis and engine, then close the doors. Makes no sense.
I truly don't know how this is going to end.
Same here, I keep my sleds for long enough than I'm generally not concerned about resale.
I had a 2014 pro climb, Then a 2020 Ascender
Lost both of them along with the cabin in the bush creek wildfire back in August 23'
I was stoked to order a 25' catalyst, now this..
Blah.
for you guys with 25’s I’d keep an eye on FB groups and country cat. I have a 24 600 so iam really feeling dumb. Sad thing is I love it lol! Well here’s hoping a honest company buys ac with intent of making it the number one snowmobile n the world lol!
