After 18 years of building cruisers in
the USA,
Victory Motorcycles is pulling into the
garage and putting down its kickstand for the final time. Parent company
Polaris has
announced it is closing down the brand. The decision is the result of
both success and failure. Despite some
recent gains –
sales were up 18 percent in the 2nd quarter of 2016, for instance –
Victory has struggled in its head-to-head battle with the behemothic
beast that is Harley Davidson, peaking in sales back in 2012 and losing
money in three of the past five years.
By contrast,
acquisition and development of the classic Indian
Motorcycle brand by Polaris has proven
to be a brilliant decision, with booming sales and expanding
distribution. Also, its three-wheeled Slingshot roadster, which the
company houses in its
motorcycle
division, has been somewhat of
a sales surprise.
So, business being what is, the difficult decision was made to
concentrate efforts in the areas that have been bearing more and better
fruit. Polaris CEO puts the move in corporate speak thusly:
"Our focus is on profitable growth, and in an environment of finite
resources, this move allows us to optimize and align our resources
behind both our premium, high performing Indian Motorcycle brand and our
innovative Slingshot brand, enhancing our focus on accelerating the
success of those brands. Ultimately this decision will propel the
industry-leading product innovation that is core to our strategy while
fostering long-term growth and increased shareholder value."
For fans of the brand and current owners, some sort of solace may be
found in the fact that the company says that it will, for the next 10
years, continue to supply parts for the Victory lineup and honor
warranties.
Plus, we'd bet there will soon be some good deals to be found on current
inventory.
Victory Motorcycles closes down as Polaris focuses on Indian and Slingshot
Eighteen years of competing in the American cruiser market comes to an end.
