Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/183375
12 • October 7, 2013 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com ww A BY BR Se de acc ric Bas the ing Sp cra to Joh Po SPARKFROM COVER CONTINUED David Garibaldi, a performance painter who has appeared on "America's Got Talent" and raised more than $1 million for charities with his paintings, wowed the crowd at the Spark media launch in Orlando. In less than 10 minutes each, he turned a blank black canvas into a mesmerizing work of art. He first painted Superman, then Albert Einstein, and finally a pair of Spark riders. Boisjoli, who conducted a 60-minute Q&A with enthusiast media at the Hard Rock Hotel alongside Universal Studios the day after he spoke with investors on the company's first earnings call since it became a publically traded company, knew his innovation team had a formidable task when he ordered them to come up with a "2 for 1" approach to building the next great Sea-Doo product back in 2005. "I wanted two for the price one," he said. "And I didn't say anything about the trailer!" But the Sea-Doo didn't leave that to chance. The all-new Sea-Doo Move II trailer carries two Sparks, weighs 30 percent less than other Move II models and is 25 percent shorter. Standard cars can carry its 1,500 pound weight with a pair of Sparks aboard. In fact, young, car-driving buyers are the target market for Spark. Considering the average age of today's PWC buyer is 48, according to BRP officials, Spark will be geared toward families with a combined income of $89,000, more than half of whom have children. The age of the Spark buyer figures to be in the range of 25-35. arrival of Spark," Boisjoli said. But how affordable? Yves Leduc, BRP's vicepresident and general manager, North America division, in a presentation to reporters, revealed numbers like $8,700, which in 2008 was the price that consumers expected to pay for a PWC. Or $6,600, which Sea-Doo research showed consumers were willing to pay for a new unit. "They're too expensive, difficult to store, hard to tow and tough to maintain," were some of the pre-Spark barriers to PWC ownership. The used PWC market is four times the size of the market for new unit sales. "Twenty-three million consumers have a general interest in PWC, and it's a 40,000-unitper-year industry," Leduc said. "And the price of entry is almost double what it was 20 years ago." Add it all together, and Leduc could only wonder at the potential of Spark. "The market potential is latent and significant," Leduc said. And with that, Leduc watched four twentysomethings dock their Sparks on the lakeside beach. But when the four of them combined to carry one of the Sparks with ease to a staging area, those in attendance were equally amazed. C.A.F.E COMES TO LIFE Unit code words rarely make their way outside of OEM facilities. But Boisjoli was eager to share the insight provided by the design and engineering teams behind the Spark. So the Spark initially had the code name "C.A.F.E. — Clean, Affordable, Fun, Easy. We wanted the Spark to be accessible, family fun on the water for those who today cannot afford it — until the AN INVENTIVE PROCESS BRP claims the Sea-Doo Spark costs nearly 40 percent less than its closest competitor on the market, along with being the most fuelefficient watercraft in the industry. It's available in Vanilla, Orange Crush, Bubble Gum, t Pineapple or Licorice. It's powered by the reliable Rotax 900 ACE engine, a compact 4-stroke that provided all the power needed to a group of enthusiast media. The engine can also be found powering BRP's Ski-Doo snowmobile lineup. The design and engineering team went above and beyond to create the lightest PWC on the market. First, it created Exoskel, which provides an open-air upper deck appearance with a framework that consists of two forwardswept "arms" securing the handlebar and rider connection area. Even more, the BRP team developed Poly- tec, a proprietary recipe of polypropylene and long glass fibers designed specifically for watercraft hull and deck applications. Polytec serves as the "skin" of the Sea-Doo Spark Exoskel, providing structural integrity. Polytec lowers the overall weight of the watercraft without compromising strength and durability, as has been proven through rigorous, heavy use testing in both fresh and saltwater environments including real world ocean impact and specialized crane drop testing, according to company officials. It's not surprising that BRP's latest innovation is also 100 percent recyclable. PSB Ski-Doo produces 3 millionth snowmobile Summit X E-TEC 800R rolls off the line in Valcourt BRP in August produced its 3 millionth SkiDoo snowmobile, a 2014 Ski-Doo Summit X E-TEC 800R, at its Valcourt, Québec, manufacturing facility. "From design to engineering, to the assembly line via marketing, sales and many more, BRP employees have made this milestone possible by striving for quality, innovative and industry-leading products that continually reinvent the sport," said José Boisjoli, BRP president and CEO. "I want to thank all of them for their hard work, commitment and dedication over the years, without them, this accomplishment would not have been possible." P01x13-PSB13-News.indd 12 ($4 sig Joh PW ma the 3-u gen PW the The Ski-Doo brand was born in 1959, and the 1 millionth snowmobile, a 1974 Ski-Doo T'NT Everest 440, was produced exactly 40 years prior to the 3 millionth. The 2 millionth sled, 1994 SkiDoo Summit, was produced 20 years ago. "All our employees, but particularly the ones in Gunskirchen, Austria and Valcourt, Canada, have made us the world leader on snow," said Gerd Ohrnberger, vice-president and general manager, Product Engineering and Manufacturing Operations division. "They are the best in the world at designing and manufacturing engines and vehicles." The Summit X E-TEC 800R produced Aug. 29 was originally designed for European distribution, but it will be placed among its 1 millionth and 2 millionth predecessors in the J. Armand Bombardier Museum. PSB 9/25/13 11:03 AM end 31 bas US the mo en abr fou sta lik "W Ka 30 mo wa No de can an lio mi are no go wi of the ext of the uti