Snow Goer magazine reports that a struggling electric OEM is keeping alive its dreams of being an electric snowmobile

and personal watercraft pioneer . However , it now has a new business plan and new ownership .

The Quebec-based Taiga Motors has technically been around for a decade now since its business structure was set up in 2015 . It

Taiga has emerged from its bankruptcy protection with a new business plan that will sell to dealers in a traditional manner instead of directly to consumers , with dealers acting as a liaison and service center . Photo courtesy of Taiga Motors / Snow Goer

produced some electric snowmobiles and personal watercraft but then ran into the Covid crunch , financial challenges and other issues . It quickly burned through its cash .

In July of 2024 , Taiga sought bankruptcy protections after announcing mass layoffs and paused production three months earlier . Then last October an investor showed up in the form of European boat builder Stewart Wilkinson and his family .

Since then , Taiga news has been mostly silent … Until last month , according to a report . Canadian business news site The Logic recently posted a feature story that sheds new light on Taiga ’ s status .

According to the article , Taiga 2.0 brings back most of the same leadership team , plus Stewart Wilkinson , CEO of Vita Power , as the primary owner . Together , they ’ ve developed a new business structure that includes selling Taiga vehicles through powersports dealerships instead of selling consumerdirect like Tesla ’ s model . The company also has a streamlined structure with somewhat less ambitious growth goals .

The article included quotes from Wilkinson , Taiga Motors co-founder and CEO Samuel Bruneau , and even a disgruntled dealer who says he ’ s lost trust in the electric company after being forced to take on inventory .

Snow Goer stated that it doesn ’ t think the currently available electric options will meet the practical needs of snowmobile enthusiasts . However , PSB will continue to cover OEMs in the electric space as the segment and technology evolve .

Volcon ePowersports recently signed an agreement to be the exclusive distributor of Super Sonic Company Limited ( Super Sonic ), a wholly owned subsidiary of ODES Industry , golf carts sold to original equipment manufacturers in the United States . Super Sonic manufactures golf carts in Vietnam under its brand , AODES . The company also manufactures the Volcon MN1 Adventurer and MN1 Tradesman and golf carts for other OEMs .

“ We are excited for the opportunity to be the exclusive distributor of Super Sonic golf carts in the U . S . Super Sonic ( AODES ) has a strong history of golf cart sales in the U . S ., which is why Volcon selected Super Sonic to manufacture our golf carts ,” notes John Kim , Volcon ’ s CEO . “ Their Vietnam manufacturing facility provides a competitive advantage due to lower tariffs for importing units compared to units from other Asian countries .”

According to the U . S . Census Bureau , 114,000 golf carts , valued at $ 450 million , were imported from China to the U . S . in 2023 . The American Personal Transportation Vehicle Manufacturer Coalition recently petitioned against certain lowspeed personal transportation vehicles imported from China . The petition asserted that manufacturers who received foreign government subsidies could import vehicles from China at a lower cost than manufacturing in their home countries .

This created unfair trade practices . The Department of Commerce reviewed Chinese manufacturers who sold such vehicles and determined they were unfairly competing due to government subsidies . As a result , countervailing duties and antidumping tariffs were assigned to Chinese manufacturers

, which cumulatively range from 149 % to 500 % ( depending on the manufacturer ).

Volcon says its relationship with Super Sonic ( AODES ) in Vietnam translates to

Super Sonic manufactures golf carts in Vietnam under the brand name AODES and also manufactures the Volcon MN1 Adventurer and MN1 Tradesman and golf carts for other OEMs . Photo courtey of AODES

golf carts being taxed at 2.5 % instead of up to 500 % for units from China . The electric powersports manufacturer believes there ’ s a big opportunity to sell more units to dealers

and big box retailers such as Lowes , Home Depot , Tractor Supply and Bass Pro Shop – all of which source their golf carts from Chinese manufacturers .