We just returned from the Kawasaki dealer meeting, held this year in San Diego, and looking back, here are some highlights and takeaways from the two-day event.
- It was nice to see the 2014 Teryx SxS get nearly all the upgrades the Teryx4 gets for model year 2014. We detailed many of those changes in our web update for Sept. 6. If you somehow missed it, go here. One feature we don't think was made a big enough deal of is the '14 Teryx getting Electric Power Steering (EPS). The '13 Teryx two-seater does not have EPS. Adding EPS is a great move and one drivers will appreciate.
- Kawasaki also made another fairly significant announcement during its dealer meeting: the Kawasaki Strong 3-year limited warranty. This manufacturers base warranty applies to all 2014 Mule and Teryx side-by-side models, including all 2014 side-by-side models previously announced and sold since July, 2014. This is significant in that the 3-year warranty is an extension of 30 months on the Teryx line and two years on the Mule line.
- During the business meeting of the dealer show, Kawasaki officials said the company's "minimum target is to realize 10 percent market share across all" segments. In 2012 Kawasaki's share of the market was 9.5 percent but the forecast for 2013 is to be 10.1 percent of the market, up .6 points.
- According to the numbers shown at the dealer show, Kawasaki's greatest market share is in the motorcycle segment with 11.2 percent of the market based on sales from April 1 to July 31 of this year. That is followed by a 10.4 percent share of the market in side-by-side sales during the same time period. The lowest Kawasaki market share is in ATV sales, where it owns 4.8 percent. Overall, during the same sales time period, Kawasaki was up to 9.9 percent market share across all segments, up .4 points from 2012. That upward trend lends credence to the company's target of 10.1 percent market share.
- Maybe Kawasaki's lack of market share in the ATV segment explains why Kawasaki officials didn't parade any ATVs out during the new model presentation to their dealers. We were a little surprised to not see any ATVs come out during main presentation, although there was a nice display of them in the showroom after the main meeting. Kawi's Brute Force just happens to be one of our favorite ATVs.
- It was also pointed out during the dealer meeting that forecasts for the side-by-side segment (all brands, not just Kawasaki) are expected to be up 6 percent. Also, side-by-sides in the 30 mph plus segment represent 68 percent of the side-by-side market.
- Kawasaki officials were extremely excited about a new movie-Transformers 4: Age of Extinction-scheduled for release next summer. The Ninja ZX-14R will be featured in the movie.
- The dealer show's closing event was a takeover of two blocks of city streets in San Diego's Gaslamp District, where Kawasaki had a huge display of all its wheeled products, along with a show featuring a motorcycle stunts-with street bikes and dirt bikes, gave away a ton of prizes and kept folks entertained for a couple of hours.
We picked a few photos from the weekend to show just what went down during the two days.
