Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/258703
6 • February 17, 2014 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • February 17, 2014 • 7 Q4 2013 Dealer Survey shows retail gains Dealers have seen significant improvement in their performance vs. their plan over the past year, according to the Q4 2013 Dealer Survey conducted by Powersports Business and RBC Capital Markets. While customer traffic and buying interest responses were mixed, unit sales appear to remain strong and profit mar- gins have improved. More than 225 dealers from 46 states and four Canadian provinces completed the online survey. Twenty-four percent of dealers responding to the survey reported their Q4 2013 perfor- mance as "above plan," which compares favor- ably to the 16 percent who reported Q1 2013 as being "above plan." Similarly, 50 percent of dealers reported being "below plan" in Q1 2013, but that number decreased by 10 percent in the Q4 2013 survey to 40 percent. TOP PERFORMERS BY SEGMENT Yamaha motorcycles had a successful quar- ter at many dealerships as 27.7 percent of motorcycle dealers reported it was their best- selling brand in Q4. Another 11.4 percent said Yamaha was their second-best performer, and 10.8 rated it third. Honda was ranked No. 1 by 22.3 percent of dealers, and Kawasaki, at 15.1 percent, was the other brand to break double-digits. How- ever, 18.1 percent rated Kawasaki their No. 2 seller. Harley-Davidson held the top spot at 8.4 percent of motorcycle dealerships in the survey, while Victory was ranked at the top at 7.8 percent of dealerships, and Spyder received the same rating at 7.2 percent of stores. Vic- tory's sister brand, Indian, is No. 1 at 3.6 per- cent of dealerships, and coming in last on the list was Suzuki, which is the top dog at only 3.0 percent of motorcycle dealerships surveyed. In the off-road arena, its no surprise that Polaris runs away with the No. 1 spot for side-by-sides. Polaris took top billing for 44.9 percent of dealers surveyed. Coming in far behind Polaris, but next in line was Honda, which was the top-seller at 13.5 percent of side-by-side dealerships and ranked No. 2 at 14.1 percent. Both Can-Am and Yamaha came in with 10.3 percent of dealers giving it top billing, and Kawasaki followed at 9.7 percent. Arctic Cat was the top seller at 7 percent of dealerships surveyed, and John Deere is No. 1 at less than 1 percent. For ATVs, Polaris again took the top spot for the largest number of dealers, with 37.4 percent ranking it in that position. However, Honda also came in with strong numbers as a quarter of respondents ranked it No. 1. Yamaha was the top ATV seller in 12.8 percent of dealer- ships, while 19.3 percent ranked it second, and 14.4 percent rated the brand third. Can-Am held the top spot at 9.6 percent of ATV dealer- ships, while Arctic Cat earned that ranking at 5.3 percent of stores. Kawasaki was No. 1 at only 4.8 percent of dealerships, but 22.4 per- cent ranked it 2 or 3. Suzuki held the largest ATV market share at 3.7 percent of dealerships. Polaris again grabbed the lead in the snow- mobile market, with 43.6 percent of dealers reporting the brand is their market leader, but Ski-Doo is a strong competitor, with 34.6 percent ranking it No. 1. Yamaha barely edged out Arctic Cat, with Yamaha rated at the top for 11.5 percent of dealerships, and Arctic Cat receiving the same ranking at 10.3 percent of stores. PSB HARLEY-DAVIDSON INC. Optimism toward Q4 and NTM sales growth Although results were somewhat skewed in that only 8 percent of respondents were Harley dealers, there was strong optimism among this group regarding Q4 and NTM sales. However, the picture of dealer percep- tion of the relative quality of the 2014 prod- uct line was decidedly mixed. OTHER KEY TAKEAWAYS HONDA PERFORMING WELL The side-by-side offerings from Honda again received strong responses for recent sales and expectations over the next 12 months, while also performing well in dealer quality. However, outside of Honda, dealers appear to have a more negative view of the other Asian brands (Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki) across most categories. PSB EDITOR'S NOTE: Powersports Business, in partner- ship with RBC Capital Markets analyst John Kempf, conducted its online Q4 Dealer Survey at the end of the quarter. More than 225 dealers from 46 states and four Canadian provinces completed the survey. Partic- ipating dealers sell new and/or pre-owned units from more than 40 different powersports manufacturers. Dealers who complete the survey in its entirety receive a copy of Kempf's complete 23-page report. All dealer responses are anonymous. Dealers who wish to participate in the Q1 2014 survey and capitalize on the benchmarks it provides should send an email to dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com. RBC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Dealers seeing performance gains over past year Orlando show to feature two days for trade; two for consumers Marketplace Events Motorcycle Group, pro- ducer of the American International Motorcy- cle Expo (AIMExpo), has announced the 2014 show will be a four-day event, held Oct. 16-19, 2014. Last year's inaugural event was five days. In the short time since the launch of AIMExpo, show management has received a significant amount of feedback from the powersports industry hailing the event as much needed and an overwhelming success. AIMExpo shifts to a four-day event in 2014 Hayasaki tabbed to lead Suzuki Suzuki Motor of America, Inc., (SMAI) announced the appointment of Takeshi Haya- saki as president. Mr. Hayasaki, a longtime executive of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has many years of experience in the motorcycle/ ATV industry, and began his new position in December. The company also announced that Takao Kudo has been named executive vice president and will oversee the new After Sales Operations group. "Suzuki Motor of America, Inc., is well- positioned right now for growth," said Mr. Hayasaki, "with a new company focused on the recreational powersports industry and excit- ing new models for 2014. I'm eager to work with Suzuki staff and dealers to continue this growth and brand momentum. We are creating opportunities for Suzuki dealers and Suzuki enthusiasts nationwide." Mr. Hayasaki served as assistant to the president of American Suzuki Motor Corp. from 1996 through 2002, overseeing strong growth in the company's motorcycle/ATV divi- sion. Under Mr. Hayasaki's leadership, Suzuki launched several key models in the USA, such as the 1999 Hayabusa and QuadSport Z400 ATV. He gained a wide range of international experience in sales and marketing, working with Suzuki distributors in Canada, Australia, Europe and Latin America. His broad under- standing of sales and marketing as well as vehicle production and distribution will allow him to serve the U.S. market well again. "We're glad to have Mr. Hayasaki's busi- ness experience and leadership as we plan for continued growth," said Larry Vandiver, Suzuki's Motorcycle/ATV vice president. "The introduction of new products such as the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS and the Burg- man 200 ABS shows just part of our growth plan, and Mr. Hayasaki's experience will help Suzuki Motor of America with these new products and much more." Suzuki is creating a new After Sales Opera- tions division that will help SMAI better serve consumers. This division unites parts, acces- sories and service functions under the leader- ship of Mr. Kudo, who most recently served as export motorcycle service manager, leading Suzuki Motor Corporation's (SMC) global motorcycle service team. Mr. Kudo began working with SMC's motor- cycle service group in 1985, and has visited much of the world, including Australia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, while working to improve Suzuki's motorcycle, marine and auto- motive service efficiencies. Mr. Kudo's global service experience will be instrumental with the new After Sales Operations division. PSB 44.9% of surveyed side-by-side dealers ranked Polaris as their No.1 brand. P01x09-PSB3-News.indd 6 2/5/14 10:03 AM