Last Update: 29 December 2023
Polaris Industries just announced it will immediately begin winding down its Victory Motorcycles brand and related operations.
They will focus all motorbike efforts on Indian motorcycles, which is unaffected by this decision.
Polaris said it will help Dealers in liquidating existing inventories while continuing to supply parts for a period of 10 years, along with providing service and warranty coverage to Victory Dealers and owners. The announcement does not affect any other Polaris business units, the OEM said.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision for me, my team and the Polaris Board of Directors,” said Polaris Industries Chairman and CEO Scott Wine. “Over the past 18 years, we have invested not only resources, but our hearts and souls, into forging the Victory Motorcycles brand, and we are exceptionally proud of what our team has accomplished. Since inception, our teams have designed and produced nearly 60 Victory models that have been honored with 25 of the industry’s top awards. The experience, knowledge, infrastructure and capability we’ve built in those 18 years gave us the confidence to acquire and develop the Indian Motorcycle brand, so I would like to express my gratitude to everyone associated with Victory Motorcycles and celebrate your many contributions.”
Several factors influenced the decision, Polaris stated. “Victory has struggled to establish the market share needed to succeed and be profitable. The competitive pressures of a challenging motorcycle market have increased the headwinds for the brand. Given the significant additional investments required for Victory to launch new global platforms that meet changing consumer preferences, and considering the strong performance and growth potential of Indian Motorcycle, the decision to more narrowly focus Polaris’ energy and investments became quite clear,” the OEM stated.
“This decision will improve the profitability of Polaris and our global motorcycle business, and will materially improve our competitive stance in the industry,” Wine said. The manufacturer plans to assign resources to Indian and Slingshot going forward, he added.
The closing of Victory enables Polaris to reduce operating costs. The company said it will keep up Indian production in Spirit Lake, IA, and Slingshot production in Huntsville, AL.
Source: Victory/Polaris
