Arctic Cat is back. This couldn’t have made Cat enthusiasts happier.
As you have probably heard by now, Arctic Cat and BRP have came to an agreement and Arctic Cat can again sell their snowmobiles in Canada. BRP filed a lawsuit claiming patent infringement on their pyramidal chassis design. The ruling favoured BRP and Arctic Cat was forced to stop selling their snowmobiles in Canada.
Visiting some Arctic Cat dealers was a sad scene as showroom floors were virtually empty. Some dealers even talked to Yamaha to get their sleds in for the new season. People were wondering if this was the end of Arctic Cat. The big news years ago was that Arctic Cat went to pre orders only. Some thought this was to clear inventory so they can introduce their newest models. People who thought that were disappointed.
Arctic Cat is backed by some big money in Textron Inc. It would take something dramatic to shut down the cat.
In the end, BRP and Arctic Cat came to some sort of agreement and Arctic Cat is again allowed to sell their machines in Canada. Great news! We don’t know what BRP got in return. Some rumours say it might be the mono rail used in Arctic Cat’s Alpha One mountain sleds. Only time will tell.
Textron and Arctic Cat have gone through some growing pains during the 5 years since Textron took over. Hopefully all that is behind them and we can turn the page and see some new innovative models that Arctic Cat has been known for.
