To say there’s a ton of hearsay swirling around the industry right now would be a huge understatement. Clearly the early summer announcement of Yamaha’s 2025 departure from the snowmobile marketplace is generating a ton of questions and some outright speculation.
Here’s one we think deserves analysis: Now we know Yamaha, a premium priced and positioned snowmobile product is leaving the business, is there an opportunity for another premium positioned sled to fill the void they’re leaving?
If you don’t know about Lynx’s premium pricing and “Spring-Break-only” ordering process, here’s what it means. Lynx sleds are sold exclusively through current Ski-Doo dealers across North America. BRP has wanted it this way so shoppers can learn about Lynx snowmobiles when they drop into their local Ski-Doo store.
Shoppers also find out Lynx is not just a Ski-Doo painted a different color. They also learn Lynx sleds carry a premium MSRP. If three years ago BRP had launched the Lynx line-up into an entirely new dealer network there would have been considerable angst amongst Ski-Doo’s successful dealers.
It’s possible BRP felt there wasn’t enough room for a fifth OEM being sold through an independent network of dealers.
The landscape changed in a pretty significant way when Yamaha announced it was exiting the snowmobile market in a couple years. Yamaha has an exceptionally high-quality network of snowmobile dealers and you have to assume many of these dealers would like to stay in the snowmobile biz. In fact, a number of these dealers are probably dealing popping Rolaids like Tic Tacs over losing an important profit center within their powersport dealerships.
Would BRP sell more Lynx premium priced and premium positioned Lynx sleds if they were not solely available at Ski-Doo stores? If the answer to this question is yes, then the availability of a premium quality dealer network, ready to take on another snowmobile brand must be a tempting opportunity.
This is an opportunity coming from what many feel is a somewhat disappointing reality. Sort of making lemonade from lemons. We agree, Yamaha’s exit is a tough pill to swallow for all of us who love this sport. We need four healthy OEMs to shoulder the weight of the snowmobile business.
BRP is an exceptionally opportunistic company that knows exactly what it’s doing and rarely – if ever- misses an opportunity. Stay tuned.
