Yahoo Autos After 55 Years, Yamaha Is Done Making Snowmobiles
Yamaha is ending production of snowmobiles and withdrawing from the market beginning this year. The Japanese company says it will be completely gone from the global snowmobile market by 2025, although the phase-out will begin in Japan, where the last of Yamaha’s 2022 model year snowmobiles will be sold until dealers run out.
Yamaha will then phase out snowmobiles in the European market, where it just refreshed the lineup with 2024 model year sleds, as Visor Down reports. And, finally, Yamaha will exit the market of North America through the 2025 model year, meaning that there will still be time to buy a Yamaha snowmobile well into the next year in the U.S.
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The looming shutdown of snowmobile production can’t be good for the ongoing sales of recently introduced 2024 snowmobiles in Europe — not to mention the sale of upcoming 2025 models in America. But the company’s sleds have a loyal following around the world, after having built up a fanbase since 1968 with the introduction of the Yamaha SL350, the company’s first snowmobile ever.
Yamaha has barely begun to produce the 2024 models, which are expected to be delivered in the fall of this year. And production will continue through the 2025 model year for the sale of these final models in the U.S. and Canada. Parts and service will still be available after the final production run, but it’s unclear for how long. Yamaha mentioned a 12-36 month window, though that was more for helping distributors and dealers rather than hanging them out to dry.
