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6 • January 26, 2015 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com points. We are creating new and more inspiring opportunities for our customers to experience our products and our brand. Our aim is to set new standards for retail experience in the motorcycle industry," said Stephan Schaller, global president of BMW Motorrad, speaking at the opening. "Customers are changing the way they inform themselves and communicate with us. These changes mean we also have to chal- lenge ourselves always to think and uncompro- misingly act from the customer's perspective." The opening of the new concept store in Cape Town also marked the launch of BMW Motorrad's new brand positioning campaign titled "Make Life a Ride." This new positioning represents all the values of the BMW Motorrad brand, striving to illustrate a more optimistic and active attitude toward life and riding — an attitude characterized by optimism, self-confi- dence and responsibility. "We want to make the BMW Motorrad brand part of an aspirational lifestyle, because it is more than just a motorcycle brand. We want our existing and prospective customers to forge new paths and pursue personal hap- piness through riding," said Heiner Faust, BMW Motorrad's global head of sales and marketing. Faust went on to explain that motorcycle enthusiasts can look forward to an enhanced riding experience with the new range of BMW motorcycles set to launch globally in 2015. "A few weeks ago BMW Motorrad pre- sented three highly innovative products at the INTERMOT motorcycle show in Cologne with the R 1200 R, the R 1200 RS and the S 1000 RR. Shortly afterwards, two further new products were the center of attention at the EICMA in Milan: the new S 1000 XR and F 800 R," Faust said. With the S 1000 XR, BMW Motorrad is expanding its product portfolio to include a genuine all-rounder in the Adventure Sport segment. The fourth member of the family of high-powered sporty BMW motorcycles with a four-cylinder in-line engine unites dynamic touring qualities, sporting performance, great comfort and superior everyday performance. The sporty new BMW F 800 R, meanwhile, has a liquid-cooled 2-cylinder engine and offers improved all-round qualities and a new design. The launch of the flagship concept store underscores BMW Motorrad's continued growth and increased market share. BMW Motorrad has retained its strong position in the premium segment worldwide, recording the best third-quarter and 10-month sales volume figures in its entire history. As of October this year, worldwide sales reached an all-time high of 109,052 units delivered to customers, up 7.4 percent from the previous year's 101,530 units delivered to customers. PSB BMW CONTINUED FROM COVER New production facility slated to be running in 2016 Polaris Industries Inc. announced plans to build a new production facility in Huntsville, Ala- bama, to provide additional capacity and flex- ibility as the company continues to experience rapid growth. Located southwest of Huntsville City Center, the 600,000-square-foot facility will focus on off-road vehicle production. Polaris selected Huntsville due to its skilled workforce, history of technology and innova- tion, existing utility infrastructure and strong local and state resources supporting economic development. The 453-acre Huntsville site offers Polaris close proximity to its key cus- tomer base in the Southeast U.S. and a strong logistics network. "This new facility will complement our already strong and growing North American manufacturing footprint by reducing pressure on our existing facilities and enable each to remain focused on their current product lines as we continue to meet the demand for our innovative, quality products." said Ken Pucel, executive vice president of Operations, Engi- neering, and Lean, Polaris Industries Inc. "We are grateful to the city of Huntsville and the state of Alabama for their support as we invest in our shared future." Polaris will design and develop a lean and flexible facility to drive continuous improve- ment from the start. The new plant in Alabama will become part of Polaris' North American plant network and will reduce complexity within the existing plant network and enable logistics optimization. The facility will have multiple assembly lines providing flexibility to quickly replenish demand and support con- tinued product innovations. Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, the plant will sup- port several core processes including vehicle assembly, chassis and body painting, welding, fabrication and injection molding. At full capac- ity, the site will employ at least 1,700 people. "I am honored to welcome Polaris Indus- tries to Alabama," said Governor Robert Bent- ley. "The Alabama workforce, our business climate and our quality of life continue to make Alabama extremely attractive to companies. I am confident that Polaris will soon experience the same type of success that other companies in Alabama have already experienced." Polaris will break ground on the Hunts- ville facility in the first quarter of 2015 with completion scheduled for early in the second quarter of 2016. Production will begin shortly thereafter. PSB Polaris adding manufacturing plant in Alabama