T-Rex All-Terrain Vehicle For Kids Soars In Popularity This Year

Dealer to give away T-Rex Unit In Radio Station's Promotion

Contact: Fred Cassle or
               Scoot Moore
   Phone: 619.523.0455

Gene Hallock, 63, retired a few months ago as a repairman at a state hospital in Minnesota to open up a dealership selling the likes of fishing docks, snowmobile trailers, boat lifts, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the tiny village of Cleveland, (pop. 375), 80 miles south of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

In rural Minnesota, all those items are big sellers. In the rest of the country, fishing dock sales may not sizzle, but dealers everywhere agree that ATVs are among this year's hottest recreational products.

That's especially true for the entry-level market, where mini quads (four-wheelers) like the T-Rex line from Russellville, Ark.-based Transnational Outdoor Power, LLC, shot out of the starting gate in late 2000.

Nationwide sales statistics confirm the trend. The ATV market grew at a 23% annual rate from 1998 through 1999, and for five years before that the annual growth rate was 12%, according to a Dec. 29 report in the Wall Street Journal.

Dealers nationwide will compare notes about the sparkling sales pace when they gather for their annual Dealer Expo 2001, Feb. 17-19, at the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. It's the largest trade-only event in the powersports industry.

In Minnesota, Hallock's G&D Sales & Consignment is among the savvy dealerships nationwide that decided to stock the T-Rex 50cc and 90cc units the moment they were introduced last September.

T-Rex is the only ATV Hallock sells, believing that consumers get "too confused" by multiple lines. He liked the T-Rex immediately, as well as its affordable price starting at around $1,800.

"Consumers seem to like it," he says. "Even moms and dads like the ride them, too. The T-Rex structure is good, strong, and powerful. And their engineered safety features are a big plus with parents -- they're saving the life of their kid."

Specifically, he praises the rear-mounted safety tether cord and throttle control switch that immediately stops the machine in an emergency. "That really impressed me," he says.

He also echoes what Dirtwheels Magazine said in its January, 2001 feature article on the T-Rex: "It looks hot." In a separate 2001 Buyer's Guide, the magazine said the T-Rex units "could be the best-looking minis on the market."

Hallock is doing his best to boost ATV excitement in Minnesota, a state with vast woods and hundreds of miles of marked and groomed trails that are ideally suited for ATV enthusiasts.

This spring, he's planning to give away a T-Rex unit as part of a "summer campout program" promotion on local radio station KYSM-FM that will last from March through June. Callers to the station can register to win the T-Rex, a travel trailer, gasoline, and groceries to take along on their next camping trip.

Meanwhile, magazines that cater to the ATV market are bursting with stories about overwhelming demand in the entry-level youth market targeted to children aged 6 to 16. The units are known as "mini quads."

Most of the new mini quads are built in Taiwan, as is the T-Rex, which was designed by, and is exclusively distributed by, Transnational Outdoor Power.

In its test of the T-Rex 90cc unit, Dirt Wheels Magazine said, "Forget stealing nuclear secrets, the key to America's future lies in developing a more powerful and affordable mini ATV."

The magazine gives T-Rex ample credit for accomplishing just that. The Review stated:

"our usual crew of mini tester were impressed right away with the sharp lines and good looks of the T-Rex 90. (It) is large enough to fit a wider variety of rider sizes in this age category than many other machines in this class. Even adult riders feel comfortable taking the T-Rex out for spins."

In conclusion, the review said, "Reliability seems good, and its combination of peppy power, good handling, and ease-of-use make it a potent new entry into the mini quad ranks. Way to go, T-Rex. Now to see how well it will chomp up the competition."

To help do exactly that, Transnational complements its dealer network with an aggressive Internet marketing strategy. The T-Rex website at www.get-t-rex.com/ has shown evidence that Junior and/or his parents are seeking information on ATVs. The site recorded 30,000 individual hits during the holiday shopping season of November and December.

"The numbers really do reflect the fact that the entry-level ATV is one of the hottest youth fun products in 2001. And we're positioned to meet the demand," said Nathan A. Wolfstein IV, marketing director for Transnational Outdoor Power.

For more information, call (877) GET-T-REX, fax (501) 880-9998, email at gettrex@hotmail.com or visit the website and take a virtual test drive.