With the rise in sales of the Polaris RZR, industry insiders are asking if buyers for this unique vehicle (and they are a considerable number) are merely being redirected from buying an ATV or a conventional UTV.
On closer inspection, it would seem the RZR customer is a unique one who has no doubt owned an ATV or UTV in the past, or may even have one or two of them at home in the garage.
What is not in doubt however, is the targeted use of the vehicle. The RZR customer is a person who wants to ride or drive to the limit and is using the vehicle for one express purpose: The thrill of riding it.
What this means is the RZR owner is not interested in using it to haul gear to a hunt camp or to fix fences on the ranch. There is absolutely no dual-purpose utility intention with the Razor owner. It is for sport-recreation only and performance is its key asset.
This is interesting if you’re a manufacturer trying to figure out how to reach a specific market. Can-Am’s highly successful and very high performance Commander still focuses on utility with it’s unique cargo design, but may not be ringing the bell with the kind of person who gravitates to a Razor. Same with Cat’s red-hot Prowler 1000.
It appears that if competitors want to gain ground in this Polaris dominated segment, they will have to design a specific vehicle to compete, no compromises.
