14 • August 2026 • Powersports Business

Ducati has become one of Volkswagen Group’ s strongest- performing premium brands since it was acquired by Audi in 2012. The Italian motorcycle manufacturer has posted record sales in recent years and continues to benefit from its premium positioning and racing success in MotoGP and WorldSBK.

For now, the reports amount to renewed industry speculation, and they underscore the financial pressures facing one of the world’ s largest OEMs and the value Ducati represents within its portfolio.

Polaris announced June 22 that it has appointed Dustin Semach to its board of directors, adding an executive with extensive experience in finance, operations and business transformation as the company continues to navigate a challenging powersports market.

Semach’ s appointment became effective June 19. He will serve on Polaris’ audit committee and compensation committee.

“ Dustin is an accomplished leader in the industrial and technology sectors whose experience across finance, strategy and operations brings valuable perspective to Polaris,” says Polaris Board Chair John Wiehoff.“ His background complements the board’ s strategic focus on advancing our powersports strategy and positioning the company for its next phase of growth, while delivering long- term value for shareholders.”

Semach currently serves as president and CEO of Sealed Air Corp., a global packaging solutions company known for brands such as Cryovac and Bubble Wrap. He was named president and CEO in February 2025 after joining the company as chief financial officer in 2023.

Before Sealed Air, Semach held CFO positions at TTEC Holdings and Rackspace Technology and served in leadership roles at DXC Technology, Computer Sciences Corp., and IBM.

Semach currently serves as president and CEO of Sealed Air Corp., a global packaging solutions company known for brands such as Cryovac and Bubble Wrap. He will serve on Polaris’ audit committee and compensation committee.( Photo: Sealed Air Corp.)

The appointment comes as Polaris continues to focus on operational efficiency and longterm growth initiatives amid softer retail demand across several powersports segments. The company has spent the past two years managing elevated dealer inventory levels, moderating production and implementing cost- reduction measures while investing in product development and strategic growth opportunities.

Adding a board member with deep experience in finance, technology and corporate transformation could prove valuable as Polaris works to improve profitability and position itself for future growth when market conditions improve.

Polaris’ board now includes leaders from a variety of industries, reflecting the company’ s focus on governance, operational excellence and shareholder value.

Torque Group just announced that dealership management solutions provider, DX1, is now integrated into its contracting system.

The F & I solutions provider has had Lightspeed integration for years, but requests from dealers continued to pour in about adding DX1, and the company responded.

With the new DX1 integration, dealership personnel can enter the deal number to pull vehicle, customer, and financial information directly into the Torque Group contracting system. This helps reduce the potential for manual entry errors, creates F & I contracts faster and more efficiently, and streamlines the F & I process for dealership staff.

The rollout represents not just a new integration, but also a commitment to listening to its dealers. The addition of DX1 was one of the most requested enhancements

See Torque Group, Page 15