Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/679587
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • May 23, 2016 • 3 HOTNEWS CONTINUED FROM COVER exceeds high consumer expec- tations can be even more dif- ficult. For the most professional of dealerships, however, these tasks have not only become second nature, they are firmly integrated in the business' day- to-day operations. If your company: Displays a consistent and clear understanding that the profitability of the organiza- tion is directly related to the extent that it focuses on cus- tomer satisfaction; Provides customers with an experience worth returning for and recommending to others; And prepares for future suc- cess with sound planning, mar- keting and training initiatives; Then you need to apply to be recognized as one of the top dealers in North America. Some important things for you to know as the program embarks on its fourth year: We will select 50 dealerships for the list and will rank the top group of 5 dealerships, recog- nizing them for their elite status in the industry. The top-ranked dealer will be recognized as the "No. 1 Powersports Dealer in North America." Powersports Business will also select several Best in Class Award winners. Those Best in Class awards may include cat- egories such as Best Customer Service, Best Events, Best Ser- vice Department, Best Place to Work, Best Digital Strategy, Best Marketing, Best Industry Advocate and Most Innova- tive. We may change or add to those categories as we review the applications. The application is meant to Polaris Slingshot has introduced the most exclusive vehicle yet to its lineup, the Blue Fire SL Limited Edition. The vehicle is currently available, in limited quantities, at Polaris Slingshot dealers nationwide. Polaris Slingshot has listened to its customers and is offering the most requested color to date — Blue Fire, with first-from- the-factory White Lightning muscle stripes. The new Limited Edition has all the features of the fully loaded SL trim level, plus premium metallic Blue Fire paint, powder-coated White Light- ing accents, an interior LED lighting kit and a tinted Ripper Series Wind Deflector. "We are excited to release the newest edition to the Slingshot lineup in a color consumers are demanding," said Craig Scanlon, vice president of Slingshot. "With this vehicle being released dur- ing peak riding season, we expect an unprecedented demand. Quantities are limited, so don't wait." Slingshot is offered in three distinct trim levels for a limited time only. The base Slingshot has a starting MSRP of $21,499 and features Gloss Black paint, 17-inch lightweight alloy wheels up front and an 18-inch rear wheel. The premium Slingshot SL, with a starting MSRP of $25,499, features either Red Pearl or Turbo Silver paint, larger 18-inch cast aluminum wheels up front and a 20-inch rear wheel, as well as a blade windscreen for wind protection. It also features a media console with a 4.3-inch LCD screen, back-up camera, Bluetooth integration and a six-speaker audio system. The Slingshot SL LE offers all of the same upgrades as the Slingshot SL, but also includes bold Blue Fire paint, White Light- ning muscle stripes, White Lightning powder-coated frame, swing arms, springs and front-arm suspension, an interior LED lighting kit and a tinted Ripper Series Wind Deflector. The Slingshot SL LE in Blue Fire retails for $26,999. POLARIS REVEALS NEW LIMITED EDITION SLINGSHOT NEWS 5 ... Manheim to sponsor Power 50 FINANCIAL NEWS 8 ... Tommy Ady 9 ... Synchrony extends contract OPINION 13 ... From the Editor 13 ... Online at PowersportsBusiness.com PSB: FOCUS Executive of the Year 14 ... Executive: Dennis McNeal 16 ... Industry Leader: Tim Buche 17 ... Industry Leader: Milt Reimer 18 ... Industry Leader: Johnny Jump 20 ... Industry Leader: Steve Shankin MOTORCYCLE 22 ... Yamaha picks top 6 techs 22 ... Company looks to add V-twin dealers SOLUTIONS 24 ... Steve Jones 25 ... Paula Crosbie ATV/UTV 26 ... Yamaha aids National Forest efforts 30 ... American Landmaster launces lineup 31 ... Polaris, Yamaha, Cab Cadet recalls SNOWMOBILE 32 ... Camso releases new track AFTERMARKET 36 ... Hot Products INSIDE Following 16 years of service, R.M. (Mark) Schreck, announced his decision to retire from the Polaris Industries Inc. Board of Directors after the 2016 Annual Shareholders meeting. Schreck's extensive engineering and manu- facturing background and mastery of the R&D process proved invaluable over a period during which Polaris launched numerous new prod- ucts and designs. Schreck served as the chair of the Polaris Technology Committee for nearly 15 years and was instrumental in its creation and development. Today, the Technology Committee serves a pivotal role in providing oversight of product plans, technology devel- opment and related business process. "I am humbled to have served on the board with Mark," said Scott Wine, Polaris chair- man and chief executive officer. "Aside from his wisdom and innovative approach to deci- sion making, Mark led with great dignity and passion. He was the driving force behind the creation of our product development process, and his guidance essentially transformed our engineering function. With these contribu- tions and numerous others, his legacy is per- manently stamped upon so many things that make Polaris great. I cannot stress enough how incredibly valuable a board member he has been, and we will sorely miss his wise counsel. We thank Mark for his years of dedicated ser- vice and wish him the very best." PSB BMW Motorcycles sets Q1 sales volume record The BMW Group's Motorcycles segment continued to perform well in the first quarter of 2016, compared to the year-ago quarter. The number of BMW motorcycles sold to customers worldwide since the beginning of the year rose by 7.7 percent to a record 33,788 units, with the BMW R 1200 GS long-distance enduro and its sister model, the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, remaining BMW Motor- rad's best-selling models. The Boxer GS also performed well, with 11,391 units sold worldwide during the three-month period. First-quarter segment revenues were 2.6 percent higher at € 582 million ($669.8 million) (2015: € 567 million) on the back of good sales volumes. EBIT amounted to € 94 million, down 18.3 percent, while profit before tax also finished at € 94 million, a 17.5 percent decrease. The BMW Group expects the Motorcycles segment to continue its upward trend in the current year. The new R NineT Scrambler and G 310 R models unveiled at trade fairs last autumn have given the product portfolio additional breadth and are attracting new customer groups. A slight year-on-year increase in sales volume is forecast for the full year. provide us with the information that is crucial to evaluation. You can save and return to your application as often as you wish before submitting it. You will also be given an opportunity to print and review your applica- tion before final submission. Any additional photos you would like to submit with your application can be delivered either through a file transfer site of your choice to dmcmahon@ powersportsbusiness.com or mailed on CD or flash drive to Powersports Business Power 50, 10405 Sixth Ave. N, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55441. EX-BOEING EXEC ADDED TO HARLEY-DAVIDSON BOARD OF DIRECTORS Harley-Davidson, Inc. in May announced the election of Michael Cave as non-executive chairman of the board. Cave, a retired senior vice president at The Boeing Company, has served on Harley- Davidson's board since 2012. Cave, currently the chair of the board's human resources committee, succeeds Richard Beattie, who retired after more than 20 years of service on the board following the annual meeting of sharehold- ers in May. Cave held a variety of assign- ments across Boeing's financial, defense and commercial busi- nesses. Among other leadership positions at Boeing, Cave served as senior vice president of Busi- ness Development and Strategy, senior vice president/chief finan- cial officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, senior vice president of Commercial Airplane Programs and vice president-finance of Boe- ing Information Defense Systems. PETERSON PROMOTED TO EDITOR OF DIRT RIDER The Bonnier Motorcycle Group has promoted Pete Peterson to editor of the Dirt Rider media brand, it was announced by Andy Leisner, vice president, group publisher. Peterson's new role will see him lead the brand in its continued evolu- tion of content development and distribution. In addition, associate editor Kris Keefer was promoted to senior test editor at Dirt Rider. These promotions are effective immediately. "With Peterson's years of experience, incredible skillset and passion for motocross and off-road motorcycling, he was the obvious choice to lead Dirt Rider," said Leisner. "He has proven his abilities managing different content categories for us, and he will now oversee all content creation and distribu- tion through digital, print, video and our social-partner channels." Peterson has been at Dirt Rider for 10 years. PSB Schreck retires from Polaris board The 2016 Slingshot Blue Fire SL LE retails for $26,999. The BMW R 1200 GS and GS Adventure helped spur 7.7 percent sales growth of the com- pany's motorcycles worldwide. MICHAEL CAVE