Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/711372
SNOWMOBILE Location will put more focus on North American market Yamaha Motor Co., has announced that effec- tive July 1, it has moved its global headquarters for its snowmobile operations to Toronto from Japan. Yamaha recently took a similar approach with its ATV and side-by-side operations, now headquartered globally in Georgia. The new North American Snowmobile Division will take the lead in managing Yama- ha's worldwide snowmobile business, includ- ing product development, business planning and marketing. The objective is to bring greater focus to North America by increasing speed of product development, improving coordination and efficiencies with industry partners, and bettering research and product planning decisions due to closer proximity to the market, Yamaha said. Headquartered in Toronto, the division is comprised of Canadian and U.S.-based employees to remain highly focused on both major markets. In addition, Yamaha will increase investment in North American-based engineering, research and design. "For the last few years, Yamaha Motor U.S. and Yamaha Motor Canada have been taking on additional responsibility for the snow- mobile market," said Peter Smallman-Tew, North American team leader. "Yamaha Motor Co. has been encouraged with our progress, and we are excited to accept this new chal- lenge. We are confident that these changes will help us serve our North American dealers and customers better." As a result of these changes, the daily snowmobile operations performed at Yamaha Motor USA's Lakeview branch office in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, will be transitioned to Toronto; Minocqua, Wisconsin; and Ken- nesaw, Georgia. The Yamaha North American Snowmobile Division is busily pre- paring for the arrival of the first Sidewinder series of snowmobiles, the most powerful snowmobiles ever released. In addition, the upcoming 2017 season will also welcome Yamaha's 50th anniver- sary for the 2018 model year. PSB Yamaha moving world snowmobile HQ to Toronto 42 • August 15, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Waterville, New York-based Curve Indus- tries, an aftermarket ski manufacturer, has hired Cody Schuster, 22, as marketing/cre- ative director and inside sales rep. Schuster, a recent graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, managed the RIT SAE Clean Snowmobile team. Schuster also is a former intern at Curve Industries. "I'm familiar with the company, and I have experience with the day-to-day operations at Curve, bringing it all together with my pas- sion for the industry," he said. SKI-DOO 2017 MODEL UPDATES ANNOUNCED BRP continually engineers and develops products for maximum performance and reli- ability right up to their production in an effort to provide customers with the best possible ownership experience. In that context, here are some changes that will be made to the 2017 Ski-Doo model lineup: Models equipped with the Rotax 850 E-TEC engine will have oil economy in line with the same levels as the 800R E-TEC. MXZ and Renegade models equipped with the 850 Rotax engine will have pDrive clutches equipped with clickers for RPM adjustment. All Summit REV-XM and REV Gen4 based models will now be equipped with one set of front idler wheels, in addition to the rail mounted ice scratchers. Summit REV Gen4 models will use a one-piece bottom gear, rather than the proposed bi-metal gear. PSB DIGEST Curve Industries adds marketing director Cody Schuster, a recent graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology and former intern with Curve Industries, has joined the company as marketing/ creative director. Models including the all-new 2017 Sidewinder R-TX SE will be arriving at dealerships for the upcoming season.