Brammo gets Boost from Polaris

[Rincewind]

Polaris Announces Investment in Brammo

Powersports Leader Acquires an Interest in Electric Motorcycle Leader



MINNEAPOLIS, Oct 26, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Polaris Industries Inc. PII +0.83% today announced a minority investment in Brammo, an Ashland, Ore.-based maker of electric vehicle technology and two-wheel electric vehicles. By investing in Brammo, Polaris obtains access to their proprietary electric vehicle powertrain technology, as well as exposure to the rapidly growing electric motorcycle market.

"We are excited to advance our electric vehicle capability by establishing Polaris as a business partner and part owner of Brammo, one of the most innovative and aggressive companies we have found in the electric motorcycle space," said Scott Wine, Polaris CEO. "Our companies share a passion for performance, and we look forward to exploiting the numerous opportunities created by pairing Brammo's industry-leading electric powertrain technology with Polaris' vast array of market-leading powersports products. This is a small, but important, investment for Polaris in an electric vehicle market that we feel is poised for significant growth."

Founded in 2002, Brammo has made its mark by developing electric vehicle technology tailored specifically for the motorcycle segment. Brammo currently offers the Enertia line of motorcycles, capable of speeds in excess of 60 mph and ranges up to 80 miles on a single charge. Brammo plans to expand their product line to include high-performance sport motorcycles capable of more than 100 miles on a single charge, as well as a full line of entry- to high-performance dirt and dual-sport motorcycles.

"We have always been impressed with Polaris' leadership within the powersports industry. Polaris is a company founded on innovation and quality and, as such, their decision to partner with Brammo is a resounding endorsement of our technology," said Brammo CEO and founder Craig Bramscher. "This is a terrific scenario for Brammo's customers, as we bring Polaris' legendary engineering, manufacturing, and customer service expertise to bear on our products."

In addition to potentially utilizing Brammo technology in its own products, Polaris will collaborate with Brammo to grow their core business. Polaris and Brammo each bring distinct competencies and assets to this relationship, and share cultures centered on a passion for excellence and innovation. This combination of capabilities and culture will allow Polaris and Brammo to create and seize opportunities that neither could capture independently.


http://www.marketwatch.com/story/polaris-announces-investment-in-brammo-2011-10-26

Also related:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/26/brammo-grabs-28-million-from-polaris-industries-to-power-development-of-electric-vehicles/

[squeezer]

Cool. Smart, too.  

[Papa Lazarou]

Cool. Smart, too.  

Agree. Noiseless running down and stalking of pedestrians and cyclists is the new black.

[atadaskew]

Cool. Smart, too.  

Yup.
Nice to see they are looking ahead.

[bomber]

Yup.
Nice to see they are looking ahead.

likely a cool place to work

[Cablebandit]

They could bring a new electric UTV to market and call it a golf cart.  

[squeezer]

They could bring a new electric UTV to market and call it a golf cart.  

 

[Kootenanny]

Ahhh...an electric Vision...


 

[Giaka]

Ahhh...an electric Vision...


 

Shocking..........

[R Doug]

Good for Brammo.  When I took the racing school at Laguna last year, Brian Wismann (Brammo's Director of Product Development) was in my group.  He's a cool guy and I really like the Impulse.

Here's Brian and the Impulse, which is his design.  I'd love to commute on that!

 

[jetapumper]

likely a cool place to work

Buddy of mine, an engineer, interviewed with them earlier this year. The best perk he talked about? Any 4 new Polaris toys a year. PWC, snowmobile, cycle, four wheeler, what ever you want. Then return them after a year and choose 4 fresh ones!             Alas, he turned down the offer, so I never got a chance to test ride a Vision.    

[Rincewind]

That's what I'm hoping they start producing, too.  

My further hope is that Brammo becomes available through Polaris dealers.  

[squeezer]

My further hope is that Brammo becomes available through Polaris dealers.  

Oh, yeah! Hadn't thought about that, but I bet it was discussions on dealerships that led to this. Building a new dealer network is brutal work.

[Cablebandit]

Hell, maintaining a dealer network seems to be an issue as of late.  

[Rincewind]

Is Best Buy still selling Brammo's in Cali?  

[jhawk]

...... I'd love to commute on that!

mmmmm...... stealth streetfighter......  

[Grainbelt]

Awesome. Makes a lot of sense, particularly the dealer network portion of it.

I'm still waiting for Polaris to enter the off-road or sportbike market.

[axelwik]

likely a cool place to work

Ashland, Oregon is pretty nice. Lived there for 5 years - and great riding.

[squeezer]

I'm still waiting for Polaris to enter the off-road or sportbike market.

Back in the beginning, I thought the sportbike thing was on their radar. Folks may not remember, but their very first press kits for their very first bikes claimed they were producing the world's first "sport-cruiser" (insert appropriate snicker smilie here).

Okay, that category never quite caught on with motorcycling world as well as "sport-tourer" did, but I thought their emphasis on that was laying out a road map for the future. Not yet, I guess.

[Kraz]

Is Best Buy still selling Brammo's in Cali?  

I don't think so.  I talked to the folks at the Brammo tent at the US Moto GP @ Laguna Seca and they talked about how they severed the tie, and it was a huge mistake in the first place, and look forward to being taken more seriously now that they're independent from them.