Our valued readers and viewers are once again asking, “Why can’t the sno-mo-OEMS build a simple, fan cooled, low featured, old-style snowmobile with old style parts and sell it for a lower MSRP?”.
Economies of scale dictate what an OEM can sell a sled for. To oversimplify, if an manufacturer sells a bunch of a certain model, it can build them for less and hopefully pass that savings onto consumers. The Sea-Doo Spark PWC demonstrates this reality in the best way. Sea-Doo sells more Sparks than any other model in its line-up and the lower cost to produce Sparks results in a lower MSRP.
So why can’t the OEMs resurrect a 440 fan from early the two-thousands and slide it into a 2005 Rev chassis and sell it for $5995?
I’m not going to dig too deep here because, as much as I respect the rationale for this question, there is no possible way a manufacturer could do this. Fan cooled 2-stroke engines are required by the EPA to use “clean credits” to get them to market. A company like Yamaha would have a ton of credits – and may even sell them to other OEMs so they can comply.
While this might sound like good news it is not. The entire premise here is to build a low-cost sled. Buying EPA credits is not a low-cost venture. Even if Polaris has enough credits to cover sales of 550 Fan EVOs you have to wonder what happens when they run out.
Furthermore, the cost to produce a snowmobile engine – of any displacement – is not that much different when you compare a 550 fan to a 600 liquid to a 850 and…the list goes on. Simply put the manufacturing savings to be gained using a smaller displacement engine are not anywhere near what you might think.
This same rationale holds true for a snowmobile chassis, track, clutches, body work, skis, brakes and the list goes on.
The Ski-Doo NEO and the Polaris EVO are the answer. While the MSRP of both sleds is higher than $5995, the engines are mostly EPA compliant (the EVO does require credits because it’s a 2-stroke).
The NEO uses an existing platform (the G4) and the EVO uses the ProRide platform. The savings from using in-production, up-to-date platforms and engines is substantial and passed on to the retail buyer. The fact both of these sleds are in the sub 10K range is remarkable in 2024.
The final reality is that there is simply not enough demand for a basement priced, resurrected “old” new snowmobile. The best answer to the question is the Ski-Doo NEO and the Polaris EVO.
So don’t think there’s going to be a sub $6000 new sled on the horizon. What the OEMs (specifically Ski-Doo and Polaris) have accomplished is remarkable with the EVO and the NEO. Get a ride on either this winter and you’ll agree – they’re a ton of fun for the money.
