ATVs out: Polaris to withdraw its quad bikes from sale by October this year

The sale of all Polaris quad bikes will come to an end in Australia in October.

Polaris pulls out: US ATV manufacturer Polaris will stop selling its quad bikes in Australia by October.

POLARIS has announced it will pull the pin on selling its full range of quad bikes from Australia by October, 12 months early, as new safety standards come into effect.

“Polaris has publicly stated numerous times that we believed within 24 months the quad bike market would be minimal at best, as the market shifts away from ATVs (quad bikes) and towards side-by-side products,” Polaris Australia & New Zealand managing director Mark Collins said.

The Federal Government standard, announced late last year, demands that by October 2020 all new quad bikes display the degree of slope at which they overturn and must be fitted with operator protection devices or rollover bars.

Polaris has actively opposed fitting OPDs due to what the company states is a lack of reliable science or evidence to support their safety and industry-funded research, which found they could cause as many injuries as they prevented.

“Considering the vast contraction of the quad bike market over the past five years as customers flock to side-by-side vehicles with properly engineered ROPS and factory integrated safety technologies, Polaris maintains its view that the market itself would end up signalling the end for quad bikes over coming years anyway through sheer lack of demand driven by the availability, benefits and range of side-by-side vehicles,” Mr Collins said

Polaris is withdrawing all quad bikes from sale by October 2020, including its current 50cc and 110cc Outlaw youth models.

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However, Polaris will continue to offer its ROPS-equipped, youth range comprising the single-seat ACE 150, sporty RZR 170 and Ranger 150 which is equipped with app-based speed control and geo-fencing.

Polaris and its dealers are already clearing the remaining stock of quad bikes ahead of the October 2020 deadline.

Polaris quad bikes will remain in production for the rest of the world’s markets and full product support for parts and warranty will continue in Australia for at least the next decade.