Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/208245
38 • November 4, 2013 • Powersports Business PSB managing editor Liz Keener hopped aboard the 2014 Yamaha VX Cruiser at a media event in Georgia. The VX Cruiser and Deluxe dropped 65 pounds thanks to their new NanoXcel hulls. PWC YAMAHA PAGE 36 CONTINUED FROM for more water flow to the unit. "The intake grate is really the beginning of the pump. It's where the water enters the hull, and the more water, of course, that you can get to that impeller, the more traction or the more thrust that you're going to get out of it," Watkins said. The SVHO engine can be found in the 2014 Yamaha FZR (MSRP $14,999) and FZS ($14,999) and the flagship FX SVHO ($14,799) and FX Cruiser SVHO ($15,399). VX SERIES IMPROVEMENTS Though unleashing a new, more powerful engine always lends itself to excitement, Yamaha made sure its low-end best-selling VX series was not ignored. www.PowersportsBusiness.com The hulls and decks on both the VX Cruiser and the VX Deluxe were upgraded to Yamaha's NanoXcel material, which shaved considerable weight from the machines. "We're able to save about 65 pounds from the complete unit, which translates to quite a bit of benefit in the area of fuel economy, miles per gallon and of course, some performance benefits as well," Watkins said. In addition to increasing fuel efficiency, the NanoXcel hulls and decks contribute to quicker acceleration, faster top end speed and more range. "It's the little bit more fun factor because it's a little lighter weight, so it's a little more agile, more responsive," Watkins said. All models in the VX Series, which also includes the Sport, feature a 1,052cc fourstroke engine, open-loop cooling and expansive usable storage. The VX Cruiser and VX Deluxe include a remote transmitter security system and Low RPM Mode, which can reduce fuel consumption by up to 26 percent. Along with the improvements to the VX Cruiser and Deluxe, Yamaha announced that the price of the VX Sport has been reduced to $7,999, a $400 decrease from 2013. In the nine-years since the VX Series was introduced, it has been the best-selling PWC line on the market. "Before 2005, the highest selling watercraft were the highest performing watercraft. Starting in 2005, that trend changed, and it's been going the other direction ever since, where it's See Scott Watkins, Yamaha Watercraft Group's product manager, give PSB an exclusive overview of the OEM's new flagship FX Cruiser SVHO at YouTube.com/ PowersportsBusiness. the lower-end, lower-priced watercraft that are selling the most," Watkins said. "Actually this trend kind of tells us, well you're getting too high-priced. Those high performance ones are kind of pricing themselves up in an area where you've got less people that can buy them. We see it, so we've been focusing a lot on the VX series, trying to not overprice it; not over-feature it. Give it just what it needs, what people want to do — get out and have fun on the water." CONTINUING INVESTMENT IN PWC The personal watercraft segment overall has not fared well for the industry since its heydays in the mid-1990s. In 1996, the industry sold 220,000 units, Watkins said. That number has dwindled to about 43,000 PWCs sold annually, and the 2013 season was relatively flat. Yet, Yamaha continues to invest in PWC as it still sees a market for what it's producing. "If you looked at that [20-year sales volume] chart, you'd be looking at it saying, 'Well, we're not going to put tens of millions of dollars into this industry, but we're not going to turn away from it either,'" Watkins said. As media zoomed past at least one decades-old docked WaveRunner during the Georgia event, it was evident why Yamaha continues to be the PWC market leader by a decent-sized margin. "I'm a product guy, so I put a lot of weight on the product, of course, because it's my shoulders," Watkins said. "But then again our sales team and our sales network and service and just Yamaha in general and the reliability, it sells. Sometimes I think it's got to be flashy and have all these features and all that, and really it's just about getting on it, pulling the trigger and feeling what it does; that's the feature right there." PSB P36x38-PSB14-PWC.indd 38 10/30/13 12:58 PM