Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/258703
FOCUS PSB FOCUS PSB Utility UTV www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • February 17, 2014 • 19 18 • February 17, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Two popular crossover UTVs preparing for their second sales seasons BY TOM KAISER SENIOR EDITOR Back when the UTV craze was just getting roll- ing, there was a time when it was all about the Yamaha Rhino. While that vehicle undoubtedly revolutionized the category and helped it go mainstream, the highly anticipated second-gen Rhino debuted in 2013 wearing a new name — Viking — that would hopefully be untainted by the legal wrangling that overshadowed the Rhino's success at the end of its lifecycle. Honda's Pioneer also came to market last year with a monkey on its back, namely the lackluster reception that dogged the company's first mainstream crossover UTV, the capable but non-thrilling Big Red. As both of these vehicles are showing off their fancy new features and introducing their new names to customers across the country, Powers- ports Business checked in with six dealers selling one or both vehicles for their take on how the second generation of Honda and Yamaha cross- overs are faring in the marketplace. HONDA PIONEER Starting at $9,999, Honda's Pioneer 700 comes with features like an automotive-style trans- mission with a torque converter, double-latch doors and a 1,500-pound towing capacity. The four-seat Pioneer 700-4 starts at $11,699 and has convertible rear seat- ing that can accommodate two, three or four riders by folding seats into the cargo bed that doesn't require the vehicle to be as long as other four-seat UTV models. Mike Scott, sales man- ager at Coeur d'Alene Pow- ersports in Idaho, said the dealership's off-road sales have exceeded expectations. As ATV sales have slowly declined and UTV sales have picked up the slack, he wishes Honda would increase pro- duction of both Pioneer models to match local demand for the vehicles. "Pretty much every [Pioneer] that comes in is soon out the door and gone," he said. The Pioneer 700-4 has been a particularly strong performer. Scott is surprised by the strong consumer interest for the Pioneers, given the lukewarm reception of the Big Red. "I think Honda's doing a good job on mar- keting it," Scott said. "We've never had a four- seat vehicle like this before, and the price stayed the same as the Big Red, so pricewise it's the same, but there are more features and the two- seater is less." So far CDA Powersports has found the vehicles attracting parents and grandparents interested in taking their offspring out for a cruise on the area's significant off-road trail sys- tem. Scott added that he's anxious for Honda to release a sportier side-by-side in the near future. Kyle Funge is a salesman at Mondak Motor- sports in the heart of North Dakota's oil boom that sells both the Viking and Pioneer models. (For more on Mondak Motorsports, see page 20.) So far, he's been pleasantly surprised by sales of both, but is struggling with the slim availability of the Pioneer, which he's been sold out of for more than two months. His Honda customers have been interested in the reliability of the vehicle and its belt-less transmission, which appeals to farming cus- tomers in the area. In comparison, Funge said, the Viking is approximately 10 mph faster than the Pioneer, and its three-seat design attracts the many larger guys that are in the area to work in oil production. "The first guy I sold one to was 6-foot-7, prob- ably weighed 350 pounds and nothing out there would do it for him," he said "The first thing he said was, 'I'm a bigger guy and I'm going to go hunt black bear in Canada.' I was like, 'This is the one you need to do.' I saw him at a show a month ago and he said, 'I got my bear, and the Viking worked phenomenally up there.'" Down in West Virginia at Logan Motorcycle Sales, sales manager Shawnda Mercer said the four-seat Pioneers have also been popular due See Year 2, Page 23 (Top) The Viking FI 4x4 EPS, starting at $12,599, has become attractive to buyers with its three-seat configuration. (Left) The Honda Pioneer 700 — and its starting $9,999 MSRP — has been a fast seller since its launch, dealers report. ATV Sport 5.2% ATV Multi Purpose 26.1% Auto/Boat/R V 1.2% Motorcycle 15.8% Scooter 0.4% PWC 1.4% Other 7.6% Snowmobile 2.4% UTV Sport 10.4% UTV Multi Purpose 29.3% NEW UTV SALES – NUMBER OF TRADES PER UNIT Source: ADP Lightspeed Year 2 for Viking, Pioneer P14x23-PSB3-Focus.indd 19 2/5/14 10:27 AM