Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/147181
Market Share /// Market Trends /// ThroughDecember 2012 Fiberglass Sterndrive20' - 36' U.S.Registrations Market Share 18 % 16 % 16.4 % 16.2 % 14.8 % 14.6 % 14 % 13.1 % 13.1 % 12.4 % 12 % 11.0 % 11.8 % 10.6 % 10 % 9.0 % 8% 6% 6.9 % 7.6 % 7.1 % 6.6 % 6.3 % 4% 2% 0% Sea Ray Chaparral Cobalt Regal 2009 2010 Tahoe Four Winns Monterey Stingray 2011 2012 Relative sterndrive market share has shown a lot of change Market: 16,764 11,601 10,594 10,910 since 2009, when the size of the market was 16,764 units. By 2012, that number had fallen to 10,910, with Cobalt posting the largest increase in the group. Boat builders that offer Volvo and Mercury sterndrive power are set to benefit as both OEMs introduce new technology. Note: SSI Registration Data accounts for approximately 80% of Cobalt's total worldwide retail sales. "It makes the boats lighter, which makes the boats handle better [and] makes the boats much like an automobile," Hunt said. "You used to put a big 8.2 [liter engine] in a pickup truck, and now they put a 6.2- or a 6-liter engine. That has changed the dynamics of the vehicles and the same thing is starting to happen in boats." An automotive shift With GM moving away from its familiar engine platforms, Volvo Penta and Mercury are both at a technological crossroads that will impact boat builders and customers throughout the industry for decades to come. 30 | Boating Industry | July 2013 P28x34-BI13JUL-MarketTrends.indd 30 "Did we want to embrace those old blocks through third-party vendors and continue to make the same old stuff, or did we want to take advantage of the new automotive technologies and really push the market and deliver what, frankly, consumers expect because of their experience driving cars?" Kull asked. "We opted to go with the new automotive technology; I am absolutely convinced it was the right decision. The excitement and performance that we're getting out of the 380 is a sign of things to come, and the market reaction has been extraordinarily strong." While these new, upcoming engines may not necessarily substitute V6s for V8s, today's lighter engines are designed to provide significantly im- proved fuel economy. To harness more power from smaller engines, most of today's more power-dense engines typically run at higher RPMs, but are naturally quieter than previous, heavier designs. As car companies downsize engine offerings, some sports cars now come with sound-enhancing technology that either routes the exhaust sound into the passenger cabin or artificially creates that "performance sound" through the vehicle's speakers. A sign of the times, Volvo Penta's Captain's Choice feature allows end users to route the exhaust sound out of the side of the boat for those that love the sound, or it can be turned off for customers that prefer quieter operation. www.BoatingIndustry.com 6/5/13 10:11 AM