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Powersports Business • September 2026 • 17

FROM THE EDITOR

manufacturers continue to put significant emphasis on utility side-by-sides. And when you look at the secondquarter results from the major OEMs, affordability has become an increasingly important part of the conversation.

The industry keeps building more expensive products. Consumers don’ t necessarily want to pay for them. That’ s where Denago’ s strategy gets interesting. Garibyan told me Denago originally targeted the Polaris Ranger 500 when planning the RanchHawk. The company identified what it believes is a shortage of affordable powersports vehicles, noting that there are fewer than four models currently available below $ 12,999.

Rather than simply stripping equipment from a machine to hit a price point, Denago went the other direction. It loaded the RanchHawk with features that traditionally require stepping up the price ladder. That doesn’ t make it a premium UTV. It makes it a value proposition. And I think that’ s an important distinction for dealers heading into the second half of this year.

The premium segment isn’ t going away. There will always be customers who want more horsepower, more suspension, more technology and more everything. But not every customer needs— or can afford— the most expensive machine on the showroom floor. Sometimes the customer needs a UTV that can work Monday through Friday and still provide some fun on Saturday.

Maybe that’ s the lesson from the RanchHawk. The powersports industry has spent years figuring out how to make UTVs faster, more powerful and more luxurious. Those products have their place. But the category’ s original appeal was its ability to do a little bit of everything. The RanchHawk gets back to that idea.

Garibyan told me Denago now has 220 dealers and expects the second half of 2026 to be its strongest yet, with year-to-date performance more than double last year’ s level. Obviously, we’ ll have to see how that translates at the dealership level. A media launch is a snapshot. Long-term reliability, parts availability, dealer support and customer satisfaction will determine whether the RanchHawk earns a lasting place in the market.

But after a day on the trails, I’ m convinced Denago is asking the right question. It isn’ t asking how much performance it can cram into a $ 9,999 UTV. It’ s asking how much UTV it can give a customer for $ 9,999. That’ s a question the rest of the industry might want to start asking, too.

Because maybe the future of the UTV market isn’ t about building everything for the 1 % who want the biggest, fastest and most expensive machine. Maybe it’ s about remembering why side-by-sides became so popular in the first place. And if Denago adds a couple more cupholders and finds a little more bottom-end response along the way, well, maybe we’ ll finally have that perfect UTV.

INDUSTRY PODCASTS

POWER

HOUR EP. 54: HOW AI IS RESHAPING THE DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE In the latest episode of Power Hour, Powersports Business Editor-in-Chief Brendan Baker sits down with Hayley Hollen, director of product marketing at LeadVenture, to discuss how AI is transforming dealership marketing, website performance, and the customer buying journey. Hollen shares practical advice on using AI to improve lead quality, create more personalized customer experiences, and free up dealership staff to focus on selling. The conversation also explores common misconceptions about AI, where dealers can find quick wins, and what the technology could mean for the future of retail. Whether you’ re just beginning to explore AI or looking to get more from your dealership’ s digital strategy, this episode offers actionable insights you can put to work today.

POWER

HOUR EP. 53: PERFORMANCE BROKERAGE SERVICES DISCUSSES THE BUY / SELL MARKET Brendan sits down with Performance Brokerage Service’ s George Chaconas, Juan Pardo, and co-owner Jesse Stopnitzky for this edition of Power Hour to discuss the health of the buy / sell powersports market in Q1.

THE

DEALER LAB EP. 35: BUILDING A DEALERSHIP DMS WITH AI In this episode of The Dealer Lab, Max and Justin riff on food habits and Huey the dog before diving into dealership operations and why powersports feels stuck in an echo chamber while other industries pursue creative fixes. Justin describes returning to the showroom floor, seeing customers frustrated by outdated processes like four-squares, and counting how many times customer data is re-entered across the CRM, test-ride forms, finance, and the DMS, arguing that speed and accuracy now matter more than drawn-out processes.

THE

DEALERSHIP FIXIT PODCAST: WHY YOU SHOULDN’ T MISS DEALERCONNECT 2026 WITH NPDA’ S TIGRA AND STEVE DealerConnect runs Sept. 19-21 at the Hilton in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Podcast host Jacob Berry has been to every DealerConnect since the beginning. In this episode, he sits down with two people from the NPDA, the National Powersports Dealer Association. Tigra Tsujikawa is the events director who builds DealerConnect every year. Steve Gotoski just joined as membership and marketing director after over a decade at the AMA. Together they break down what the event is, what you will learn, and why a dealer should make the trip.

BOAT

INDUSTRY INSIDER: THE NEXT WAVE FOR PONTOONS WITH POLARIS MARINE PRESIDENT BEN DUKE In this episode of Boating Industry Insider, David Gee sits down with Polaris Marine President Ben Duke in Lake Wawasee, Indiana, in between the company’ s annual Bennington, Godfrey and Hurricane dealer meetings. They look beyond the latest model introductions to examine the bigger forces shaping the pontoon market, from affordability and changing consumer expectations to innovation, demographics, and the challenge of giving today’ s buyer a compelling new reason to get on the water.