Shares of Arctic Cat (ACAT) moved lower in the stock market today after the maker of all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles fell short of quarterly revenue views.

The Plymouth, Minn.-based company posted a loss of 38 cents a share for the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended in March. That compares with a shortfall of 49 cents the prior year. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a loss of 40 cents.

Polaris shares also fell. Read more here.

Ten years after going private BRP is going public again with a small IPO. Read about it here.

A Mega truck.

MINNEAPOLIS (April 11, 2013) — Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced the acquisition of A.M. Holding S.A.S., which operates under the name Aixam Mega S.A.S., a privately owned company based in Aix-les-Bains, France which manufactures and sells enclosed on-road quadricycles and light duty commercial vehicles in Europe. The acquisition of Aixam Mega significantly strengthens Polaris’ existing small vehicle portfolio, which includes GEM and Goupil vehicles, and enhances the profitability and growth potential of Polaris in the EMEA region.

“Aixam Mega is an excellent fit with Polaris and offers a unique opportunity for us to expand our small vehicle platform and accelerate international growth,” said Scott Wine, Polaris Chairman and CEO. “We are committed to positioning Polaris as a global leader in the growing small vehicle market and this investment reaffirms Polaris’ commitment to building a global business capable of delivering long-term, profitable growth. Consistent with our recently announced plan to build a new manufacturing facility in Opole, Poland, the Aixam Mega business acquisition is indicative of our confidence in EMEA to be a contributor to Polaris’ pursuit of productivity, innovation and growth. ”

Aixam Mega designs, manufactures and sells both passenger and light duty commercial quadricycles under the Aixam and Mega brands. Aixam Mega’s quadricycles are four-wheeled, on-road enclosed vehicles characterized by their light weight, low speed and ability, in many countries, to be operated without a full automobile driver’s license. Founded in 1983, the company has a history of strong financial performance and profitable growth, achieving approximately $110 (US) million in sales in 2012 through a distribution network of more than 400 European dealers. The Aixam brand offers a range of diesel-fueled and electric passenger quadricycles including sedan, SUV and sport styles. The Mega brand offers electric and diesel-fueled light duty commercial vehicles.

“We’re excited about today’s announcement and the opportunity to work with a leading global company like Polaris,” said Philippe Colançon, Aixam Mega business unit President. “Joining Polaris provides us with technology, expertise and resources to make continued investments in our business, while accelerating profitable growth through new customer opportunities. We look forward not only to what we can learn from Polaris, but what we can contribute to Polaris through our expertise and experience.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed; however, the transaction will be funded through the use of Polaris’ cash on hand. The transaction is expected to be slightly accretive to Polaris’ earnings per share in 2013 after acquisition costs.

RIGBY, ID (February, 2013) KLIM® is pleased to announce the hiring of Brett Nicholas as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, a new position that will support and maintain the impressive growth and premium-product history of the brand.

Nicholas, a veteran motorsports apparel expert with more than 15 years of experience managing high-volume brands and sales, enters the KLIM® company after most recently holding the Director of Sales position for the Moto and Bike categories at Fox Head Inc. In his new role at KLIM®, Nicholas will manage the Sales and Marketing efforts of the KLIM® brand of high-quality motorsports apparel and accessories globally.

“KLIM’s leadership in the Snow & Motorcycle market, along with its unique combination of innovative proprietary apparel technology and strong brand identity, positions the company to become a global powersports icon,” Nicholas said. “I have admired the brand since its launch, watched its impressive growth and am incredibly excited to be a part of the companies continued success.”

Justin Summers, KLIM® President and CEO commented, “We’re very pleased to have Brett join the KLIM family. His past experience working for benchmark brands in the motorsports arena, as well as his drive and passion for the type of experiences our customers seek while using KLIM products, ensures he’ll succeed in his new role as VP of Sales and Marketing.”

Thief River Falls, Minn. (February 28, 2013) – If you want to experience the significant weight loss and new ergonomics of the 2014 Arctic Cat Mountain snowmobiles, Backcountry Basics expert, Amber Holt will be hosting demo rides during the following dates. Please visit the Arctic Cat website for additional Western/Eastern U.S. demos, as well as locations in Canada that will be conducted by Arctic Cat:

March 9-11 Beaver Creek Lodge, Logan Canyon, Utah (outside Logan Utah)

March 15-17 West Yellowstone, Yellowstone Arctic Cat (Expo)

March 22-24 Seven Devils Lodge, Council, Idaho (SW corner of Idaho and on Oregon border)

Amber will be taking out groups at each location based on reservations.
She will have a limited number of 2014 Mountain sleds for taking out small groups for a quality ride on the new product. To reserve a space please contact:

Amber Holt at Backcountry Basics (backountrybasics.com)
Email backcountrybasics@yahoo.com

Thief River Falls, Minn. (Feb. 27, 2013) – Sara Haines is a contributing correspondent for NBC News’ TODAY. Haines appears daily on the fourth hour of TODAY alongside hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, covering fan updates and interacting with viewers via Facebook, Twitter and KLGandHoda.com.

Recently, Haines visited the Arctic Cat Factory in Thief River Falls, Minn. to film a segment that will tentatively air on March 5th at 11am CT. (Check your local listings) Sara rolled up her sleeves and learned how to build a 2014 ZR 6000 El Tigre snowmobile on the assembly line, where she loaded the robotic self-piercing rivet cells, installed shocks, hoods and even windshields.

Arctic Cat Manufacturing Manager, Troy Skime said, “We were amazed at how quickly Sara adapted to working on our snowmobile assembly line. We would be honored to hire her, and most importantly, the ZR 6000 El Tigre she assembled passed our inspection.”

After her visit to the Arctic Cat Factory, Sara took a trip to Fertile, Minn. to spend the afternoon at the Christian Bros. Race Shop with the goal of learning how to ride with Team Arctic racer, and current ISOC Snocross points leader, Tucker Hibbert.

Sara started her snocross learning experience aboard Evan Christian’s Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500, with direction from Tucker on how to use the throttle and brakes, lean in the corners and even how to stand-up while riding on an oval track. She then progressed to the National sized snocross track that the Pro racers use.

Tucker Hibbert said, “Sara was nervous but is a fast learner, and immediately, she looked comfortable on the Sno Pro 500. In no time, she moved up from the flat oval track, to the actual National-level snocross track. She didn’t want to stop riding and even caught a little air! It was impressive for a first-time rider and her huge smile proved that everyone should try snowmobiling.”

We sat through a tech session where Ron Bergman explained to us how the Arctic Cat skid (and by default, skidframes in general) worked to propel a snowmobile. Here is a little of what we learned.

Photo: Craig Moore/Associated Press

The National Parks Service has released a final plan to guide winter use in Yellowstone National Park, and it may allow for private snowmobile parties again.

Under the preferred alternative of the Final Winter Use Plan/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), the park would manage over-snow traffic based on their overall impacts to air quality, soundscapes, wildlife and visitors instead of focusing on total number of vehicles allowed in each day.

Read the rest here.

Dallas, Texas, February 24, 2013 – BRP introduces the 2014 Ski-Doo snowmobile line-up, bringing innovations to the sport and expanding market-leading technologies to more models. The new Ski-Doo line-up will appeal to consumers with features to improve their experience and bolster BRP’s leadership role in the snowmobile industry once again.

“BRP expands the ACE family of Rotax engines and shares innovative technologies across product lines and models, which sums up the 2014 Ski-Doo snowmobile line-up,” stated Yves Leduc, vice-president and general manager for the North America division. “We’ve talked about improving the customer experience for a couple of years, now we’re living it as Ski-Doo customers experience great performance and reliability with these advanced technologies.”

“The addition of another ACE engine is an example of BRP’s commitment to providing more fuel-efficient and cleaner technologies for snowmobilers around the world,” said Chris Dawson, vice-president and general manager for the International division. “Plus, the expansion of acclaimed technologies like the iTC technology, tMotion suspension for mountain riders, rMotion for trail riders and REV-XS and REV-XM platforms across more models will accelerate the momentum created last year.”

NEW Rotax ACE 900 Engine
Leading the way at this year’s annual dealer meeting is the new ACE 900 engine. This inline three-cylinder four-stroke uses Advanced Combustion Efficiency (ACE) design to deliver outstanding fuel economy, lightweight performance and low-cost operation.

The new ACE 900 engine is so efficient, it delivers 50% more power and up to 77% more torque than the ACE 600 model. BRP rates the engine at up to 23.3 mpg (10 L/100 km) in its ECO driving mode. Models equipped with the ACE 900 engine also meet the stringent U.S. National Park Service Best Available Technology (BAT) requirements with no modifications.

New intelligent Throttle Control (iTC) technology
Sleds with the Rotax ACE 900 engine feature the newest breakthrough innovation for Ski-Doo snowmobiles, the intelligent Throttle Control technology, or iTC. Consumers will benefit from easy throttle pull, and three on-the-fly rider-selectable driving modes: ECO for optimal fuel economy, Standard for normal acceleration and good fuel economy, and Sport for snappy response and rapid acceleration. Plus, there is a new Learning Key to limit performance for novice riders or in commercial applications.

REV-XS and REV-XM chassis delivered to more models
The striking style, improved wind protection, added storage, easier serviceability and more aggressive ergonomics of the REV-XS platform moves to several new models for 2014, including the MX Z X-RS, MX Z TNT, Renegade Adrenaline, Renegade Backcountry, GSX LE and Expedition Sport sleds.

Hailed as a breakthrough in design for mountain sleds, the REV-XM platform and its mountain- specific features make their way to the 2014 Freeride sled and more Summit SP models. Also included are the revised Pilot DS 2 ski and ski spindle combination for straight-tracking sidehilling.

tMotion rear suspension/FlexEdge track technology expanded: The freshest thinking in the mountain sled category makes powder riding easier on the Freeride 154, Freeride 146, Summit SP and Summit Sport models. tMotion suspension enables the rear suspension to flex laterally inside the tunnel, and the outer two inches (5 cm) of the FlexEdge track bend; together, they make carving and sidehilling extremely easy and predictable.

LinQ accessories line grows: There is no simpler, faster, or more secure way to attach accessories on a sled tunnel than with the BRP-exclusive LinQ system. A saddlebag system joins the fuel caddy and storage bags in the LinQ line.

To see all of BRP’s 2014 Ski-Doo sleds, suspension and engine technologies, new accessories and special spring programs, visit www.ski-doo.com.

Scott Wine

MINNEAPOLIS (January 31, 2013) — Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced its Board of Directors voted to elect Scott Wine, Polaris’ Chief Executive Officer, as Chairman of the Board. Wine succeeds Greg Palen, who has been Chairman for 11 years and has nearly 20 years of service on the Board.

“I would like to congratulate Scott on his election to serve in the additional capacity of Chairman of the Board. Under his leadership, Polaris has delivered consistent and profitable growth while successfully executing the company’s ambitious strategy, generating record results and shareholder returns. Scott has accomplished tremendous things since he started in 2008, but I am convinced that the best is yet to come for Scott and the Polaris team. Scott’s stellar track record as CEO of Polaris, coupled with his experience sitting on the Boards of Polaris and Terex, leaves me confident that the role of Chairman will be in good hands,” said Palen.

Scott will assume the role of Chairman effective immediately. Palen will step down from the Board following the Annual Shareholders meeting on April 25, 2013.

“Greg has been a beacon of leadership and wisdom on our Board of Directors for nearly 20 years, and his contributions were instrumental to the unprecedented growth Polaris enjoyed under his direction,” said Wine. “We thank Greg for the steady guidance and keen insight he provided as Chairman, and he can take great pride in the legacy he leaves, embodied by Polaris’ record of product, geographic and shareholder value expansion. While we will greatly miss his presence on our Board, we wish him the best as he enjoys a few less challenges and more time with his family and friends.”

In addition to changes in the Chairmanship, after nine years of service Bob Caulk announced his decision not to stand for re-election at the 2013 Annual Shareholders meeting. Caulk’s board experience across several industries, as well as his strong background in mergers and acquisitions, proved invaluable in ensuring that Polaris maintained a trend of profitable growth even as the Company expanded its portfolio in recent years.

“During his time on the Board, Bob has supplied valuable insight into strategic marketing and complex acquisition transactions, contributing significantly to our recent ability to accelerate growth,” said Wine. “We are extremely fortunate to have had access to Bob’s experience, and we greatly appreciate the guidance he provided the Company throughout his service on the Board. We wish Bob the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Finally, the Board also announced it has elected John Wiehoff as Lead Director. Wiehoff, who has served as CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide since 2002 and as the company’s Chairman since 2007, possesses an extensive background managing complex corporate financial issues. This experience, along with John’s many other talents, has contributed significantly to Polaris’ success during his time as a member of the Polaris Board, which began in 2007.