Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/410969
ATV Powersports dealers have opportunity to carry Polaris-partnered vehicle BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR Ariens Company's Atlas is so unique to the market that company employees rarely refer to it as a UTV or side-by-side; instead they call it a JSV, meaning Job Site Vehicle. The Gravely Atlas JSV-3000 and JSV-6000 crew cab are based off Polaris' Ranger platform, but they're built specifically for contractors and other professionals who need a heavy-duty work vehicle. They're positioned between the consumer-facing Ranger 900 and the commer- cial-focused Brutus. "What we identified is we saw an empty space. There was nobody claiming a space for a job site vehicle that was developed strictly for the commercial contractor or for that job site. So we saw an opportunity there, and we saw there was empty space in here that nobody was claiming," Bill Engler, Ariens' director of sales for Commercial Products, told Powersports Business during a media unveil at the com- pany's Brillion, Wis., headquarters. POLARIS PARTNERSHIP The partnership between Polaris and Ariens was announced in December 2013. The goal was for the two companies to share informa- tion, technology and R&D investments to produce a work vehicle and to strengthen both companies' dealer networks. Ariens is an 81-year-old family-owned manufacturing and distributing company that produces consumer and commercial lawn and garden equipment. Its Gravely brand, under which the Atlas is being brought to market, is a commercial lawn and garden brand. With the partnership, both companies lever- aged their experience, and the knowledge of their potential customers to create the Atlas JSV. "We didn't just sit in a room and figure this out. We went out and spent time in the mar- ketplace and did focus groups all around the country," Engler explained. "We got together contractors, homeowners, hobby farmers, large estate owners. We sat down in rooms all over the country with the different groups and asked them questions. We showed them the competi- tion, and we showed them images of what we were thinking of." The themes the focus groups came up with were: reliability, quality, durability, powerful, productive and investment. The Polaris and Ariens teams added these concepts to a design storyboard and went to work. Ariens unveils Gravely Atlas Job Site Vehicle 24 • November 3, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Ariens Company, based in Brillion, Wis., developed the Gravley Atlas JSV in partnership with Polaris. The Atlas JSV's MX-18 JobBox is roomy enough for a pallet, even with the tailgate closed. TAKE A LOOK AT THE JOBBOX Watch video of JW Washington, regional man- ager for Ariens' Western Region, take a walk through the Atlas JSV's MX-18 JobBox at youtube.com/powersportsbusiness.