In USA, Zero is upping its 'Go Electric Incentive' with either 0% financing or rebates up to $4,500 on all 2022 and 2023 models until May 31st. That makes the Zero S available at just over $10k and the DSR/X now coming in at under $20k.
Now available in USA (see Tex Mawby story elsewhere in this edition of AMD), British waxed cotton apparel manufacturer Merlin has been hired to produce riding jackets and pants by the BSA comeback, owned and operated in Coventry, England, by Indian conglomerate Mahindra.
AMD congratulates all the vendors who made it into the PSB 'Nifty Fifty' for 2022, including AMD regulars Feuling Parts for its BA air cleaner, Hawg Halters for its 13 in rotor stock brake caliper adaptor, Le Pera's Tailwhip seat, National Cycle's accessories for the Honda Rebel, PM's off-road performance big brake kit, the S&S turbo kit for the Kawasaki KRX 1000 and SBS for its progress towards near complete 'Better Brakes' program compliance.
The Redline Powersports Group recently added Indian Motorcycle Charlotte (Lowell, NC.) - its fifth motorcycle store in total and second Indian Motorcycle dealership.
Only weeks after Zero Motorcycles confirmed an investment from former Erik Buell nemesis Hero MotoCorp (of India), it has announced a "strategic manufacturing collaboration" with Laguna, Philippines based Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI), an electronics manufacturing services company, to build its electric motorcycles. IMI will assemble Zero Motorcycles' electric motorcycle models and other motorcycle sub-assemblies. "This work will be done in conjunction with the manufacturing facilities for Zero located in Scotts Valley, California. The modular assemblies and complete motorcycles supplied by IMI will be delivered to Zero's customers and dealers globally with a primary focus on the European and Asian markets."
Against a backdrop of activist investor rumblings, RumbleOn has reported record full year and Q4 powersports unit sales while executing on some $15m plus of SG&A cost reductions. Total 2022 powersports sales of 73,413 units, with used powersports units of 31,764, resulted in powersports segment revenue of $1.4bn and segment gross profit of $429.9m, comprising over 95% of total company gross profit.
Whether or not Polaris has been stung into action by Harley's broadening of the listings on its H-D1 Marketplace, something has prompted Polaris to "enter the space." Its new 'Polaris Xchange Powersports Marketplace' is designed to "give consumers an easy and convenient way to shop online for new and used vehicles. Polaris Xchange puts consumers in the driver's seat as they shop online for off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, side-by-sides, auto-cycles and ATVs, offering an extensive inventory of new and used Polaris powersports vehicles."
Former Vance & Hines Marketing Director John Potts has changed lanes - he is now working for Drag Specialties as a Southern California Sales Executive.
A profit decline at the storied Bell Helmets' owner Vista Outdoor Action Sports has led to layoffs and closure of its Scotts Valley, California offices, with remaining staff being relocated to the Fox Racing HQ at Irvine, Ca. Vista, the owner of Bell since 2016, and Fox since last year, is reportedly looking for some $50m of total cost reductions. Its "earnings improvement program" calls for an "accelerated merger" between several Vista owned brands (including Blackburn, Copilot, Giro, Krash and Raskullz, as well as Bell and Fox themselves) into what will become an "innovation center" at the Fox Racing facility - one that will "unite our teams under one roof while honoring each brand's unique, valued and untouchable culture and ethos."
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com