Published on : 05 September 20193 min reading time
While the world continuously feels the impact of the weakening automotive industry in new ways it’s easy to see that the impact of such losses will have numerous impacts on business sectors outside of the automotive industry. With billions being spent in bail out capitol to help business like Chrysler manage through these hard times so they can retool and refocus their business on the evolving needs of their customer’s it’s clear that the negative impact will last for years, if not generations.
While the government seems content in handing money to these industries companies like Polaris, whom has maintained steady cash flow due to products like Polaris RZR accessories has begun to also see a decline in customers and overall sales. The business structure for off road equipment sales is exactly the same as the automotive industry. If you are interested in buying a Yamaha dirt bike you’ll walk into a show room where a sales person will greet you and walk you though your purchase. In most cases a loan officer and bank will be involved in the purchase of your equipment. While that’s being processed take a look around. You’ll most likely see a wealth of after market products. In-fact, the after market products for off road vehicles surpasses the automotive industry in triplicate. One you’ve purchased your off road vehicle there will surely be a service center that is there to assist you with those needed modifications or necessary repairs.
If all of this sounds familiar, it should, it’s the exact same process that’s taken when you purchase a brand new automobile. This means the impact of losing this business is as bad as losing a local Ford dealership. Large multi dealership complexes are being affected without the benefit of bail out money to help them survive through these challenging times. It’s true that these dealerships tend to be smaller in size then dealerships that sell off road vehicles but in economic times as these, luxury items such as new Polaris RZR accessories will be the first items left on the shelves. Most people cannot live without an automobile but when push comes to shove, they can live without their off-road weekends.
It’s up to us as off road enthusiasts to support our local dealers and favorite online dealers and we can do that by simply enjoying our weekends by going to our favorite trails or race tracks. We’ll surely break something and will need to repair it! In reality, spending money is the only way to keep costs down. As we move through this recession our favorite dealers will be forced to limit sales staff, product availability and raise prices to compete with the shrinking dollar. To combat this we need to support the businesses that have supported out habits over the last numerous years.