26 • April 2024 • Powersports Business

Joseph-Armand Bombardier first opened his garage in Valcourt , Quebec , in 1926 when he was 19 years old .

BY MADELYN HUBBARD ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Powersports Business joined Snow Goer magazine in Quebec , Canada , to attend the 2025 Ski-Doo Global Product Reveal . While visiting BRP ’ s hometown of Valcourt before the reveal , Snow Goer ’ s Editor John Prusak hit the trails on some of the 2025 Ski-Doo models . Prusak was glad to share that Ski- Doo delivered a specific upgrade that he was hoping for – an improved front end that increases steering precision and overall performance of the new sleds .

As he tested the new front end and other 2025 model year features , Ski-Doo took Powersports Business an hour east to Valcourt , where founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier opened his garage in 1926 . He was only 19 years old when the garage became a reality with the help of family , friends , the local community and his father .

Bombardier invented the first commercial snowmobile in 1937 , the B7 Snowmobile , which was basically a car on snowmobile tracks and skis . In 1942 , during WWII , the B1 was the first military vehicle to be released by Bombardier to transport troops . He developed other snowmobile vehicles during the war , and in 1945 , he released a snowmobile designed to bus children to and from school during the winter .

He continued to experiment with the types of machines that could perform on snowmobile tracks and skis throughout the ’ 50s . It wasn ’ t until 1959 that he invented the first Ski-Doo and built two of these machines by hand . In 1960 , the Ski-Doo Snowmobile was mass-produced for recreational use and improvements to the machine ’ s design haven ’ t stopped since .

The Bombardier company continued to grow , entering the rail transportation and air travel businesses . On the recreation side , the company also began manufacturing Sea-Doo PWCs , the Speedster boat and

ATVs . BRP ( Bombardier Recreational Products ) separated from its parent company , Bombardier , in 2003 . Unknown to Joseph- Armand Bombardier , who passed away in 1964 , his goal to make transportation on the snow possible led to Bombardier ’ s success in the international transportation industry and to the conception of BRP .

Powersports Business toured BRP ’ s Valcourt factory , which was the company ’ s first factory , not far from Bombardier ’ s original garage . The factory is still in its original location , but much larger after multiple expansions . Never touring any type of factory before , I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively relaxed atmosphere and the demeanor of employees . There was no pressure in the air and no visible stress , yet steady productivity .

At this factory , Ski-Doo and Can-Am Spyder products are manufactured and while we toured , production of the Can-Am Spyder was taking place . It was quite the experience to witness the production of units that will end up on winding roads all over .

A MESSAGE TO DEALERS BEFORE THE REVEAL

The next day , Powersports Business watched the Ski-Doo Global Product Reveal along with dealers across the globe . Longtime CEO Jose Boisjoli kicked off the reveal by highlighting BRP ’ s 2023 accomplishments , from its continued dedication to its Ride Out Intimidation program and Responsible Rider program to its 20th anniversary . In 2023 , BRP was also recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 2023 World ’ s Best Companies .

BRP President of Powersports and Marine Sandy Scallion addressed the assembled group about the company ’ s dealer NPS ( Net Promoter Score ), which is determined by dealer survey responses . He says it is at an all-time low regarding dealer satisfaction with the company ’ s performance . He recognized that this is due in part to inventory

The Motoneige Ski-Doo was the first mass-produced Ski-Doo and was released in 1960 .

The B12 snowmobile was released after the B7 and could bus 12 people . issues and system upgrade hurdles , among other things . He said that the company is not proud of these results and its top priority is to work hard to regain its dealer partners ’ trust in BRP ’ s business operations .

He also noted that consumer shopping habits are changing and traffic is slowing , and OEMs and dealers are adjusting to this . While inventory turns are at a similar level to pre-Covid times , he said current interest rates and weaker-than-expected consumer confidence are putting added pressure on everyone ’ s finances , so the company is working to get inventory back to healthy levels for its dealers .

BRP is also rolling out modernized forecasting tools in the coming months and boosting its marketing efforts by injecting record levels of consumer engagement dollars to drive more shoppers to dealership doors .

“ This is where you come in ,” he said . “ The last three years have not been a reference when it comes to measuring our dealer performance . Plus , you ’ ve probably realized that most of your salespeople were hired during higher demand . So , like I ’ m telling my teams , ‘ The party is over .’ And that means we need to be much smarter and much more disciplined in creating and converting our leads into sales . The last mile of the retail journey belongs to you ( the dealers ). And if we want to plan for a faster holeshot once the sky clears , then we need to roll up our sleeves and act now .”

Ski-Doo engineers and product specialists then shared details about the 2025 Ski- Doo lineup , with one of the most notable announcements being the new front end and RAS RX front suspension , designed to increase steering precision , reduce chassis roll and ultimately match the performance of the sleds rear suspension . The North America-available 2025 Lynx snowmobile lineup was also unveiled , along with a significantly updated track kit for the ATV and UTV market .

NEW TO THE 2025 SKI-DOO LINEUP

Trail and crossover : For 2025 , the MXZ models and one Backcountry model will feature the new RAS RX front suspension , an