Category Archives: Investment & financing

Platinum Equity Buys Club Car: What’s Next?

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The Cub Car 2 Passenger Onward Personal Transportation Vehicle
The Cub Car 2 Passenger Onward Personal Transportation Vehicle

Platinum Equity, a global private equity firm, has announced the purchase of Ingersoll Rand’s Specialty Vehicle Technologies segment, which is primarily Club Car. The purchase price is $1.68 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.

SVR’s Take

This is probably better for Club Car but that remains to be seen. Club Car always seemed a bit of an odd fit within Ingersoll Rand. The management did not make bold moves while being enmeshed in the conglomerate. Like the other golf car manufacturers, they were well positioned to take advantage of the off-road utility vehicle market, but mainly stayed in their lane and ceded much of the lucrative market to the powersports companies. They also allowed E-Z-GO to beat them to the market with lithium powered golf cars and personal transportation vehicles.

The question is how aggressive is Platinum Equity willing to be. Are they just looking for some operational efficiencies to milk more profits out of the steady but unexciting golf fleet market and the smaller but growing PTV and light duty utility vehicle markets. The firm owns some existing companies that already play in the automotive space to varying degrees that may provide some synergies like Ying Shing Enterprises, a China based injection molder and metal stamper, electronics manufacturer PCI Private Limited and Elevate Textiles.

On the other hand, maybe Platinum Equity see opportunities to expand the business by building on robust manufacturing volume, established supply chains and expertise in electric vehicles. The urban mobility/micro mobility market beckons, but will Club Car leave the golf car path? How about last mile delivery? Can Club Car transfer their strengths to electric scooters, e-bikes or other alternative electric vehicles? There are already startups establishing themselves in these markets. Arcimoto’s three-wheeled vehicle could challenge in portions of their utility and PTV markets. Polaris is partnering with Optimus Ride on low-speed autonomous vehicles.

The latter begs the question, was Polaris in the running to purchase Club Car? They like to acquire leading brands. Perhaps they didn’t see enough growth prospects. On the other hand, they may believe they can take advantage of new opportunities with less investment through GEM and their other in-house electric vehicle assets as they move to electrify their powersports products. It will be interesting to see in what direction Club Car and other players in the small, task-oriented vehicle market move next.

Marc Cesare, Smallvehicleresource.com

Tariff Questions Dominate Polaris Earnings Call

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Polaris 2019 Ranger XP 1000 EPS 20th anniversary

The 2019 Ranger XP 1000 EPS 20th Anniversary edition helped drive sales despite tariff concerns.

Financial Results Overview

Tariff questions dominated the Polaris Industries earnings call to discuss their Q3 financial results for fiscal year 2018. The manufacturer of the RZR, Ranger and General side-by-sides reported adjusted revenue of $1,653 million, an increase of 12% from $1,480 million from third quarter 2017. Net income increased 21% from $98 million to $118 million. (Financial figures are compared to Q3 2017 unless noted)

STOV Segments Perform Solidly

Overall ORV/Snow segment revenue increased 3% from $1,007 million to $1,036 million. Lower snowmobile revenue was more than offset by a 12% increase in ORV revenue. ORV includes UTVs and ATVs. North American (NA) retail sales, driven by side-by-side sales, increased 1% in the quarter against a tough comparable. In comparison, management estimated that industry wide NA ORV sales improved low single digits for the quarter. Polaris side-by-side market share for the quarter remained the same.

The average selling price of ORVs overall increased 5%. Management reports that the initial launch of the 2019 model year was successful with good response from consumers and dealers. In particular, the new Ranger XP 1000 variants drove sales. Furthermore, the company’s inventory management system, RFM, is producing results with the best side-by-side delivery performance to date. In addition, lower promotional costs accompanied the stronger sales. Comments on individual markets indicated that the oil and gas customer segment improved while agriculture decreased some.

Global Adjacent Markets Gain

The Global Adjacent Markets (GAM) segment made solid gains as well. Sales increased 5% from $92 to $98 million. This segment includes vehicle sales to commercial, government and defense clients in addition to Aixam quadricycle sales in Europe. In addition, the GAM segment includes vehicles like Ranger and Brutus UTVs, military RZRs, GEM electric vehicles, Taylor-Dunn industrial vehicles and Goupil electric vehicles based in France. Management reported solid sales for  Goupil vehicles and strong orders from fire and police departments, and other government agencies.

ORV and GAM Drive International Growth

Sales to international markets jumped 10% with a strong showing from the ORV/Snow segment, up 9%, and the GAM segment, up 6%. Looking at sales by region, the Europe and Middle East drove overall international sales while Latin America increased only slightly and the Asia Pacific region decreased.

Full Year Guidance Improves

Polaris increased their guidance for the ORV/Snow segment. They now expect a low double digit increase in sales.The GAM segment should increase sales by low double digits, which is unchanged from previous guidance.

Tariff Impacts

Tariff impacts raised expenses by $8 million for the quarter and are expected to total $40 million for the year. The renegotiated NAFTA deal, the USMCA, is expected to have a neutral effect. However, the 301 tariffs, especially the upcoming List 3 tariffs could have more severe repercussions. Currently, the company is dealing with List 1 and List 2 tariff impacts. Polaris is at a disadvantage related to 301 List tariffs because their main competitors produce their vehicles in Mexico or assemble them in the US using Japanese parts. Therefore, these companies are not subject to the same tariffs.

Tariff Mitigation Plans

Management laid out a three pronged approach to mitigating the potential List 301 tariffs. First, they will try to negotiate with their suppliers to share some of the increased costs. Second, they may increase prices. Thirdly, they hope to lobby the current administration to obtain an exemption from the tariffs. Polaris argues that the tariffs are primarily hurting them, but they are the only US based manufacturer among the major players in the market. Furthermore, the company has been increasing their US based manufacturing. At this time, Polaris is not providing any specific quantitative guidance for tariff impacts for 2019.

Other Future Factors

For the powersports market in general, management expects that there will be a need to increase pricing to offset inflation, tariff impacts and increasing commodity and logistics costs. Furthermore, management stated, “As the industry leader, we’re not afraid to lead on price.”

The newly launched Factory Choice program, which gives the customers and dealers an opportunity to make differentiated vehicles from the factory and has been popular, gives Polaris optimism. The program should help drive sales in the future.

The dealer inventory profiles produced under the RFM program this year for side-by-sides significantly improved product availability. The increased availability bolstered sales, raising similar expectations moving forward.

Learn more:  Polaris Earnings Call Transcript (Seekingalpha.com)

SVR’s Take

This was another solid quarter for Polaris. The sales increases for side-by-sides were not gangbusters at first glance, but they are being compared to a really strong third quarter in 2017. The new 2019 vehicle lineup should drive sales more fully in the fourth quarter. The GAM segment is slowly growing into a significant business and could become a $500 billion business in about two years. On a cautionary note, the tariff impacts could slow progress for Polaris, especially in contrast to fast growing and Canadian based Can-Am. Increased pricing could potentially hurt sales, although as a premium brand Polaris can pass on some pricing. The other alternative is that they will take hit to their margins and generate less income.

 

 

Polaris Industries Reports Q2 2018 Results

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2019 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 EPS

New models like the 2019 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 EPS helped drive side-by-side revenue for the quarter.

Polaris Industries reported their financial results for the second quarter of 2018. Second quarter 2018 revenue increased 10% year over year to $1.503 billion with the ORV/Snowmobile segment jumping 17% to $993 million and off-road vehicles, excluding PG&A, increased 19%. Some of the gains in ORV were because of the need to boost dealer inventory levels to match retail demand.

Earnings Call Highlights

The following are highlights from the earnings call related to the small, task-oriented vehicle market.

  • The powersports market in North America is essentially flat to up slightly with Polaris ORV flat
  • ORV retail is growing in every region of the US
  • Ag markets have not slowed down at all at this point
  • ORV/Snowmobile segment sales were up 17% in Q2
  • Improved ORV demand for side-by-sides worldwide, and availability and sale of new models accelerated during the quarter helped drive sales
  • Polaris side-by-side North American retail sales up mid-single digits driven by new products and improved oil/gas and agriculture markets
  • Average selling prices for ORV increased 3% and promotional spending per unit decreased
  • Polaris gained market share in side-by-sides and ATV for the quarter
  • Production costs are increasing due to higher logistical and commodity costs
  • ORV helped drive international growth, particularly in Europe
  • Global Adjacent Markets sales increased 17% in the second quarter to $113 million, due to growth in Commercial, Government, and Defense businesses

Guidance for Full Year 2018

  • Management increased guidance for the Global Adjacents and ORV businesses with Global Adjacents expected to be up low-double digits % for the year and ORV/Snowmobiles up high-single digits %
  • ORV sales are expected to be up high single-digits percent from international results and pricing actions and slightly higher volumes

Learn more:  Seekingalpha.com (Earnings call transcript)

UTV Industry News Briefs

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CFMoto Motor company is planning to raise about $68 million in an initial share offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.  Learn more:  Reuters.com

Can-Am is the official off-road vehicle for the Luke Bryan Farm Tour. There will be vehicle display booths at each tour venue. A main target customer for Can Am’s relatively new Defender product line is farmers.  Learn more:  Powersportsbusiness.com

Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance extended its preferred dealer financing program with Kymco USA, a long time client. Separately, Kymco is offering a “Customer Choice” offer of customer cash or extended warranty on purchases of 2015 and 2016 year models through Sept. 30, according to its website. Learn more:  Powersportsfinance.com

Kawasaki is donating five Mule UTVs to aid recovery efforts after the destruction left by hurricane Harvey. In addition the company is matching employee donations made to non-profit organizations.  Learn more: Thedrive.com

Yamaha Motor Corp. will launch their power-assist electric bicycles in the United states beginning in 2018. While the company has been in the e-bike business for decades, the US market has not been targeted until now. Four models will be available ranging from street cruiser to more of a racing bike. Learn more: LATimes.com

Mahindra To Build UTVs in the US

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The Mahindra mPact XTV 1000 L utility vehicle is one of six models previously developed by the company in partnership with Intimidator, Inc.

Mahindra is planning on launching an off-road utility vehicle targeting farmers and hunters, and will build it in the US. In an interview by Barron’s, Mahindra & Mahindra’s CEO Pawan Goenka covered a range of topics including a new manufacturing plant in Detroit. The first product produced by the plant will be off-road utility vehicles.

In April 2015 Mahindra announced a partnership with Intimidator Inc. based in Arkansas to develop and manufacture Mahindra’s current mPact lineup of six UTVs. This latest interview indicates that moving forward they will be developing and manufacturing their UTVs themselves. According to the CEO Mahindra currently has about 540 dealers in the US who sell Mahindra’s tractors. While the brand is not necessarily a household name, it is not an obscure brand either in the farming market.

Comment:  This marks a more serious commitment to the UTV market. While some companies have developed partnerships to add UTVs to their product lineup, they have not had intentions of moving into manufacturing themselves. These partnerships have been a joining of complementary competencies and assets. Usually one company has the distribution channel while the other has the expertise and resources to develop the UTVs. In Mahindra’s case they likely used their partnership with Intimidator to test the UTV market in the US before making a more substantial commitment. They will offer some more competition for companies like Kubota, John Deere, Polaris and even Can Am which has been targeting the farm/hunting market segment lately as well. The investment shows that the UTV market remains highly competitive, but companies still view it as a growth market.

Marc Cesare, Smallvehicleresource.com

How Will Textron’s Arctic Cat Acquisition Impact The STOV Market

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Textron E-Z-GO Logo

Textron’s recent acquisition of Arctic Cat raises some interesting questions about the acquisition itself and how other companies in the market may react. In particular, what does the acquisition mean for Club Car.

One question is whether or not Textron will continue investing in the Bad Boy Off-Road brand. Except for the electric powered Bad Boy Off-Road UTVs the brand’s product offerings are redundant given the more popular Arctic Cat product lineup. One can argue that the dealer networks are sufficiently different that the brands can effectively reach different customer bases and not cannibalize each other’s sales.  A quick perusal of the Bad Boy dealer network indicates that most of their dealer s are golf car related with some power sports dealers. Moving forward, Bad Boy how much resources are put into product development, and what type of vehicles they develop should indicate the direction the brand will take in the context of Arctic Cat acquisition.

Another issue is the potential clash of corporate cultures between Textron Specialized Vehicles and Arctic Cat. Textron is a large conglomerate with over $13 billion in sales annually and a particular corporate culture while Arctic Cat is a much smaller company coming out of a powersports background. How well these companies will mesh will be interesting to see. Keeping Arctic Cat as a stand alone operating unit can mitigate any cultural problems to a certain degree. However, any future financial difficulties at Arctic Cat could generate more intrusion from Textron management regarding Arctic Cat operations.

Club Car is targeting the commercial market with the Carryall 700 and other vehicles.

A more intriguing question is how the acquisition of Arctic Cat might impact Club Car, which is now the only large stand alone fleet golf car manufacturer. While Yamaha Golf Cars are separate from their UTV and ATVs business, they are both part of their Power Products division. Similarly Textron has developed their Textron Specialty Vehicles division that combines a range of small, task-oriented vehicles from airport tugs, to fleet golf cars to off-road ATVs and UTVs.

Ingersoll-Rand and Club Car has taken a decidedly different approach. Rather than collecting other categories of vehicles, they have opted to focus on building out the sales of golf cars for personal/golf use and commercial oriented utility vehicles that are based off of their golf car platform. Management confirmed this approach when asked about the Arctic Cat acquisition during their recent fourth quarter earnings call.  According to recent financial results Club Car has been successful with positive growth in the commercial/utility segment while the fleet side continues to lag. However, the business is relatively small compared to the overall size of the company which had $13.5 billion in sales in 2016, and Club Car is part of their smaller Industrial segment.

This raises the possibility that Club Car may be an inviting candidate for divestiture. But who might be interested in buying Club Car? One possibility is Honda Motor. They already have a range of motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs and scooters. An acquisition of Club Car could further diversify their vehicle portfolio. In addition, golf is a popular sport in Japan so there could be some degree of personal affinity among the management towards owning a leading golf car company. Club Car would offer a premium brand and a different distribution channel that might be useful for moving other Honda products. It would also add some electric vehicle expertise to Honda as well as additional global manufacturing capabilities.

Another possibility is Polaris, which has been acquiring small vehicle brands over the past several years. Polaris tends to acquire leading brands in a particular segment and many consider Club Car to be the leading golf car brand. Besides the premium brand, Club Car would bring some other positives to the table:

  • Global brand and distribution
  • China based manufacturing facilities as well as Southeast US facilities and supplier network not far from Polaris’ new Huntsville, AL facility
  • Large volume of electric vehicle sales that can be used spread costs of new battery and electric powertrain development.
  • Entry into the golf car segment
  • Largely separate distribution channel from existing products but similar enough to cross-sell some other Polaris brands
  • Good presence in commercial small vehicle market that Polaris has been targeting

The one drawback is that, from previous presentations, Polaris management considers the golf car segment a low growth segment. In large part this is due to the stagnant fleet golf car market which is the major portion of the golf car segment. However, E-Z-GO’s recent introduction of lithium battery powered fleet golf cars represents a potentially significant shift in the market. If lithium battery golf cars can disrupt the fleet market, this might create a more appealing market to Polaris. Providing an opportunity to leverage their expertise in electric vehicles, increase electric vehicle unit volume to lower costs and find a growth avenue in an otherwise stagnant fleet market. Despite recent headwinds from recall issues, Polaris still has the financial resources for such an acquisition. It will be interesting to see if they move in this direction.

Marc Cesare, Smallvehicleresource.com

John Deere Streamlines Gator Production

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Marc Cesare,, Smallvehicleresource.com

John Deere's New Four Seat XUV 825i S4

A four seat Gator utilty vehicle from John Deere, the XUV 825i S4

John Deere is close to finishing an expansion of their Horicon Works facility in Wisconsin to consolidate Gator utility operations under one roof. The 388,000 square foot expansion allows the company to add assembly and shipping to production operations at the location. Management expects the move to be completed by March 2017. As part of the expansion, 70 new assembly jobs and 10 salary positions will be added to the existing work force of about 1,000. According to management, “We’ll be able to serve our dealers and customers better, improve the overall quality of the vehicles, and make our operations more efficient.”

While the growth in the UTV market has slowed, investments like this and others from the major players indicate that they continue to expect some market growth. John Deere spent an estimated $35 million on the expansion. The work and commercial utility segment, where the Gator is popular, has been targeted by a number of companies in search of sales growth. Coupled with the lower overall UTV market growth and other factors, this has increased the competition in the UTV market.

Learn more:  Stackyard.com

Textron Acquires Arctic Cat

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Marc Cesare, Smallvehicleresource.com

Textron Specialized Vehicles will now compete in the recreational side-by-side market with vehicles like the 2017 Wildcat X from Arctic Cat with RG Pro suspension.

Textron is buying Arctic Cat for $247 million. Arctic Cat will become part of Textron’s Specialized Vehicle business and Textron’s management stated that the current manufacturing, distribution and operational facilities will be maintained. Arctic Cat employs about 1,600 people in production and management facilities mostly in Minnesota. Textron management remarked that the acquisition will allow for “…more aggressive investment in product development, dealer networks, marketing and customer service.” For the full fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, Arctic Cat reported a net loss of $9.2 million on net sales of $632.9 million. Sales are roughly split between ATVs/UTVs and snowmobiles. For fiscal year 2017 they were expecting similar sales.

This acquisition by Textron makes them much more of a direct competitor with Polaris. While Polaris has been expanding into more work and transportation related products with acquisitions of GEM, Aixam, Goupil and Taylor-Dunn, which puts it in direct competition with Textron’s Cushman, TUG and E-Z-GO vehicles, Textron has been expanding with their roll-out of the Bad Boy Off-Road brand of UTVs and ATVs. This acquisition significantly adds to the products and markets where they will be competing head to head.

This deal should provide the Arctic Cat brand with a lot more financial muscle to expand their dealer network and develop new products. For Textron there are a number of benefits:

  • In Arctic Cat they acquire a well established brand.
  • They acquire a power sports dealer network which is distinctly different then what they currently have.
  • They expand their reach in the UTV market, not only in terms of sales volume and distribution, but in the pure recreational market segment
  • They add a completely new type of vehicle to their portfolio with snowmobiles
  • They add geographic diversity to their manufacturing facility portfolio

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Bad Boy Off-Road brand. There is some overlap of product lines with Arctic Cat. A quick perusal of the Bad BoyOff-Road dealer network reveals that many or even most of the dealers are golf car related dealers with some power sports dealers. They could continue to develop the brand or fold some of the products into the Arctic Cat brand. Perhaps, lower than expected success of the Bad Boy Off-Road launch was one reason for acquiring Arctic Cat. Why spend a large amount of resources building a new brand in a very crowded market with no guarantee of success when they can acquire a well established brand such as Arctic Cat.

Learn more:  Arctic Cat

Arctic Cat Reports Q2 2017 Results

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By Marc Cesare, Smallvehicleresource.com

The 2017 Wildcat X from Arctic Cat with RG Pro suspension.

The 2017 Wildcat X from Arctic Cat with RG Pro suspension is expected to help drive sales in the second half of the fiscal year.

Arctic Cat reported financial results for the fiscal 2017 second quarter ended September 30, 2016. The company reported a loss of $12.8 million on sales of $164.6 million compared to net earnings of $11.2 million and sales of $211.2 million in the prior-year quarter. Management pointed to a softer powersports market, as well as lower sales volume, unfavorable product mix and heightened promotional environment as factors. Sales of ATVs and side-by-sides totaled $44.0 million for the quarter, down 37.8 percent compared to prior-year sales of $70.8 million. Year-to-date sales totaled $87.8 million, down 29 percent from $123.6 million in the prior-year first half.

The following are some highlights from the earnings call related to side-by-sides:

  • Weakness in oil, gas and agriculture sectors contributed to softer sales
  • ATV and SxS retail sales decreased approximately 4% in the second quarter versus an industry that was down low single-digits. Wholesale sales decreased further as management is trying to reduce dealer inventory levels.
  • New products including those designed with Robby Gordon have been released, and a third wave of models this fiscal year will be introduced by late February
  • The company has added 28 top-tier dealers to their network but is likely to miss their target of 75 for the fiscal year. Net dealer add is flat.
  • For the short term management anticipates continued market softness, competitiveness and foreign currency headwinds
  • ATV/SxS sales are expected to be flat to down mid-single digits for the full year but up in the second half driven by new product introductions.
  • The company announced two new strategic partnerships for developing products for adjacent markets but cannot release more details, including whether they involve SxSs.

Learn more:  Seekingalpha.com (Earnings call transcript)

UTV Maker Intimidator Plans $12M Expansion

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Intimidator Classic UTV

The Intimidator brand of UTVs includes the Classic series shown here, a Crew series and a Truck series. Each series comes with several powertrain options including diesel, gas and electric depending on the series.

Utility vehicle and lawnmower manufacturer Intimidator, Inc. of Batesville, AK announced plans for a $12 million expansion to address growth in both product markets. The expansion will include a second manufacturing plant and the addition of 400 jobs over the next four years. The company makes Intimidator UTVs, Bad Dawg UTV accessories, Ground HogMax disc plow for ATVs/UTVs, Spartan zero-turn mowers and the Gourmet Guru Grill. The company is owned by Robert and Becky Foster.

As part of the expansion, the company will receive support from the state in the form a $1.5 million community development block grant, a cash rebate equal to 4.25 percent of annual payroll for the new jobs for five years, and sales tax refunds on building materials, machinery and equipment associated with the expansion.

Intimidator has partnered with Mahindra to develop Mahindra’s line of mPACT XTV utility vehicles. The expansion is tied in part to this partnership. The Intimidator line of UTVs was originally launched in 2013. The product line includes the Classic, Crew and Truck versions. There are several powertrains available depending on the version including a Kohler 1000cc diesel engine, a Kohler 750cc gas engine,  Intimidator’s own 800cc gas engine and a 48 volt AC electric motor. Learn more:  NWAonline.com