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KTM becomes Polaris’ Distributor in Germany
Minneapolis, March 7, 2006 – Polaris
Industries Inc. (NYSE/PSE: PII) today announced
that effective March 1, 2006 KTM-Sportmotorcycle
AG has become Polaris’ exclusive distributor in
Germany for Polaris All Terrain Vehicles,
Quadricycles, Snowmobiles and Polaris RANGER™
vehicles.
“KTM has established a dedicated sales force
to manage the Polaris brand and product sales.
KTM will leverage our back office operations in
Germany to increase sales, build the Polaris
brand, and increase dealer service and
satisfaction while minimizing distribution
costs. We are excited to get this project
started” said Hubert Trunkenpolz, KTM’s Vice
President of Marketing & Sales.
“Polaris is excited to leverage KTM’s strong
presence and understanding of the German
Powersports market to further develop the
Polaris brand and sales in Germany” said Mark
Blackwell, Polaris Vice President Victory
Motorcycles and International Operations.
“Polaris dealers in Germany will sign a separate
Polaris dealer contract with KTM and be managed
by a separate sales force dedicated to the
Polaris product line. While there will be some
common KTM and Polaris dealers in Germany going
forward, market conditions in specific areas and
individual dealer capabilities required for the
KTM and Polaris product lines will dictate how
many common dealers there will ultimately be.”
In July 2005, Polaris and KTM announced a
strategic partnership with the goal of
strengthening the competitive position of both
companies and providing tangible benefits to
customers, dealers, suppliers and shareholders.
KTM’s distribution of Polaris products in
Germany supports this goal. It is not expected
that KTM will become the distributor of Polaris
products in any other European market in the
near future. According to Mark Blackwell, “We
want to focus our joint cooperative distribution
effort on this key market to ensure success and
demonstrate the compatibility of our product
lines, brand positioning and dealer networks.”
About Polaris
With annual 2005 sales of $1.9 billion, Polaris
designs, engineers, manufactures and markets
snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs),
Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for
recreational and utility use.
Polaris is a recognized leader in the
snowmobile industry; and one of the largest
manufacturers of ATVs in the world. Victory
motorcycles, established in 1998 and
representing the first all-new American-made
motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60
years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads
into the motorcycle cruiser marketplace. Polaris
also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure
Polaris apparel, accessories and parts,
available at Polaris dealerships.
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 Small-Cap 600 stock price
index.
Information about the complete line of
Polaris products, apparel and vehicle
accessories is available from authorized Polaris
dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at
www.polarisindustries.com.
About KTM
KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG designs, engineers,
manufacturers and markets off-road and on-road
motorcycles and related parts, garments and
accessories with annual sales of 451.2 million
Euros in 2005. The product portfolio consists of
over 23 different off-road and on-road
motorcycles ranging in engine size from 50cc to
990cc.
KTM is best known for it racing heritage. KTM
has won 120 World Championship Titles, 14 in
2005 alone. The Company employs approximately
1,600 employees and assembles its engines and
motorcycles in Mattighofen, Austria.
Additionally, the Company manufactures exhaust
systems, frames, shocks and spoke wheels. KTM
sells it motorcycles through a network of over
1400 independent dealers and approximately 50
distributors worldwide with Europe being its
strongest market. Information about the complete
line of KTM products, apparel and vehicle
accessories is available from authorized KTM
dealers or from the KTM homepage at
www.ktm.com.
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