MINNEAPOLIS, January 11, 2001 The Minnesota company that invented the modern-day snowmobile more than 45 years ago celebrated another milestone today. In 1985 Polaris introduced an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with a first-of-its-kind automatic transmission that revolutionized the powersports industry, making ATVs easier to operate than traditional manual transmission ATVs. The Polaris Variable Transmission (PVT) has become a standard for the industry and played a major role in the skyrocketing popularity of ATVs. Today, the company celebrated production of its one-millionth automatic transmission ATV and was honored by ATV Magazine a leading recreational vehicle magazine with the magazine's first-ever Legacy Award.

"This is a real milestone for Polaris, not only to be honored with this award, but also for reaching one of our aggressive goals producing our one-millionth automatic transmission ATV," said Tom Tiller, President and Chief Executive Officer, Polaris Industries. "Our innovative ATV division has transformed Polaris into a company that caters to outdoor enthusiasts year round as the world's second largest ATV manufacturer."

Surrounded by hundreds of employees at Polaris Headquarters in Medina, Minn this morning, Tiller accepted the award and thanked the editor of ATV Magazine. The magazine's Legacy Award is given in honor of a single engineering revolution in the powersports industry. "We asked ourselves, 'What single person, place or thing has had the biggest impact on all-terrain vehicles since their creation?'" wrote Glenn Hansen, Editor of ATV Magazine, in a recent article. "The answer was surprisingly easy. Polaris' automatic transmission has now made that segment of ATVs the biggest and arguably the most popular class in the market."

Information about the complete line of Polaris products is available from authorized Polaris dealers or from the Polaris home page at www.polarisindustries.com. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, Victory motorcycles, personal watercraft, and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. Polaris is the largest snowmobile manufacturer in the world, and one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of ATVs and personal watercraft. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of PurePolaris apparel, accessories, and parts available at Polaris dealerships. Consumers can also purchase apparel and vehicle accessories around the clock online at .www.purepolaris.com. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Pacific Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the company is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 stock price index.