New XTR1000
blownhotrodder
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230hp and some shock therapy worked shocks with 2 feet of travel is about as good as I am going to get, at least within my driving capabilities, which I may have already exceeded!
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The YXZ survives because Yamaha was the first sport SXS with a transmission. They have made major improvements to the YXZ to make it more trail friendly, which will help sells. They have a huge aftermarket for parts and go fast goodies for those that want more power via turbo. Yamaha themselves offer a bolt on kit that keeps the warranty, if dealer installed. I suspect Honda will do the same with the Talon and a turbo option.
Textron first mistake was ditching the Arctic Cat name to begin with. There is a loyal base that loves the AC brand no matter what they put out. Just look at this forum and the Facebook pages with loyal followers. Some simple marketing about how you have a new AC with quality and reliability being the focus would of gone a long way. Look at how Hyundai has changed its image. Textron has take a good thing in the Wildcat XX and done what? What they have now is an image of a company that has no direction in the SXS market and appears to be clueless.
Instead of getting a 4 seater to market they have changed the name back to AC and now you can get it cheaper under the Tracker name. Smells of a company desperate to find an identity in the SXS markert. The have a great promoter to the off-road world in Robby Gordon. He has global appeal. They have done very little marketing with Robby. They have made no effort to market the Wildcat XX. If it was not for Robby Gordon and Speed SXS, there would be no buzz about the Wildcat XX at all.
I agree a turbo car is not a need for all. I would bet there are more turbos selling east of the Mississippi than you think. It is not just dune and desert people buying the turbo models. Would it not be nice for you as the consumer to have the choice between a turbo model and a non-turbo model?
Even if you forget a turbo model, Textron is missing out on the very popular 4 seat market. I know plenty of people that were waiting for a 4 seater and have moved on to other brands.
There is one other issue that Textron needs to address. There is a huge lacking of aftermarket support for the Wildcat XX. I know RG has some patents, but it seems like the aftermarket has not really embraced the Wildcat XX.
Polaris, Yamaha, Can Am and Honda all embrace the aftermarket. Many of the companies get a hold of units before they are released so they can start developing products. This was not the case with the Wildcat XX.
If Textron does not fix this soon, it will sink as the market gets saturated with more choices. If you don't think it can happen, just look at what happen to Honda and Polaris in the watercraft market.
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https://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20190406/new-ceo-focuses-on-textrons-off-road-segment
At Textron Specialized Vehicles, all the parts for a compelling powersports business are on the table. Someone just needs to piece them all together.
That someone is Scott Ernest.
The recently appointed president and CEO of Textron Inc.’s Augusta-based small-vehicle operation has been tasked with making an off-road powerhouse out of a business better known for its E-Z-Go line of golf cars and Jacobsen turf-care equipment.
So far, he’s made a splash. In January, the company announced a deal to distribute a line of private-label ATV and “side-by-side” utility vehicles through Bass Pro Shops’ dealership network. The “Tracker” branded all-terrain products will be produced at the division’s Jacobsen campus, the former Procter & Gamble detergent plant at Mike Padgett Highway and Marvin Griffin Road.
Ernest, who previously headed Textron’s larger aviation division in Wichita, Kan., said a test track is being built at the facility to put the new off-road vehicles through their paces.
“It’s 180 acres over there, so we have plenty of room to build these off-road test tracks,” Ernest said. “We’re pretty excited about that.”
The Providence, R.I.-based conglomerate appointed Ernest to head Textron Specialized Vehicles in October to replace Kevin Holleran, who led the division for 11 years and oversaw the 2017 acquisition of Minnesota-based Arctic Cat – a merger intended to make Textron a major player in a growing powersports industry, which is dominated by companies such as Polaris, Can-Am and Kawasaki.
Difficulties integrating the struggling ATV and snowmobile manufacturer led to declining revenue for the unit throughout 2017 and 2018, leading the multi-industry Fortune 500 company to call in Ernest, who successfully merged Hawker Beechcraft into its aircraft business while overseeing development of the Citation Longitude jet and the Cessna Denali turboprop projects.
Textron’s $6 billion, 13,000-employee aviation business is roughly 10 times the size of its Augusta-based vehicle division. Ernest, who spent 29 years with General Electric before joining Textron in 2011, said he believes he brings a new perspective to the local operation.
“I have a fresh set of eyes,” he said. “I have the abilities to help develop the team to think differently and allow them to get out of their set ways, how they’ve always done things. I think it’s healthy to move people around and get some different experiences.”
The most high-profile change has been the deal Textron inked with Bass Pro Shops, in which Textron will begin building a line of ATVs and side-by-sides under the outdoor retailer’s in-house “Tracker” brand this spring. The vehicles would be sold through the 180 Bass Pro and Cabela’s stores as well as its network of 570 White River Marine Group-affiliated dealerships.
Textron Specialized Vehicles dipped its toes into the off-road market in the late 2000s by launching its ST 4X4 model. It expanded its all-terrain portfolio by acquiring Bad Boy off-road vehicles in 2010 and launching its Stampede product line in 2016. It sought to strengthen its position by acquiring Minnesota-based Arctic Cat a year later.
The Bass Pro-Tracker deal, whose kickoff party featured celebrities including star quarterback Peyton Manning, country music singer Luke Bryan, bull-riding legend “Cool Hand” Luke Snyder and pro angler Jimmy Houston, is expected to boost Textron’s gravitas and exposure in the outdoor industry.
Bass Pro “does a phenomenal job in the outdoor arena,” said Ernest, an avid fisherman. “They touch not just thousands, but hundreds of millions of people. Basically, they have the sales and distribution responsibilities and we have the engineering and manufacturing responsibilities. We’re pretty excited about that channel and being able to work together.”
The all-American deal is backed up by an all-American pledge by Textron; the Tracker all-terrain vehicles being built in Augusta were previously Arctic Cat-brand products manufactured in Asia. Arctic Cat will produce some of the Tracker product line at its Minnesota plant.
Ernest said moving production stateside is as profitable as it is patriotic. For one, the ATVs and side-by-side market in Asia is virtually nonexistent. Foreign plants also respond slower to production fluctuations and customer-recommended changes. Also, local plants have better quality-control measures.
“The workforce here (in Augusta), you give them the challenge and they jump right on it,” Ernest said. “I mean, we’ve got people with a great attitude and energy around here trying to be as competitive as possible. And you don’t have to wait on a boat coming from halfway around the world to get your product here ... I’m a strong believer in trying to control your destiny.”
Adding three new Tracker lines at the former P&G plant represents a $5 million investment that will create up to 75 permanent jobs, Ernest said. Some of those employees will likely be graduates of Textron’s Reaching Potential through Manufacturing, or “RPM,” school-to-work program, in which potential dropouts are given the opportunity to work toward their diploma while earning money and on-the-job experience from Textron.
The 100-employee RPM facility supplies parts and sub-assemblies for the 300-employee Jacobsen/Tracker plant at the corner of Marvin Griffin Road as well as the company’s 1,300-employee Marvin Griffin Road operation, which for decades has produced the division’s most widely recognized product: E-Z-Go golf cars and personal transportation vehicles, or “PTVs.”
And how’s the golf business?
Stable, Ernest says, adding that market share between E-Z-Go and its competitors – namely crosstown rival Club Car and Newnan, Ga.-based Yamaha Golf – is fairly static.
However, Ernest said Textron’s golf segment is up 20 percent so far this year, largely on the strength of the company’s ELiTE line of lithium-powered electric cars.
“Our new lithium product has really taken off well,” he said. “I would say we are definitely the leader in technology when it comes to lithium electrical power. We’re taking that technology and really trying to push it back into other products, whether it’s our ground-support equipment or some of our turf applications. I’m not saying we’re going to get into Teslas or anything, but we are looking for some other opportunities.”
The company’s biggest growth opportunity is in the powersports market, where Textron accounts for just 15,000 of the 450,000 units sold industry-wide each year.
“It’s a huge market,” Ernest said. “I think with this new distribution network, it should allow us to compete a little more effectively. We’re looking forward to it.”
At Textron Specialized Vehicles, all the parts for a compelling powersports business are on the table. Someone just needs to piece them all together.
That someone is Scott Ernest.
The recently appointed president and CEO of Textron Inc.’s Augusta-based small-vehicle operation has been tasked with making an off-road powerhouse out of a business better known for its E-Z-Go line of golf cars and Jacobsen turf-care equipment.
So far, he’s made a splash. In January, the company announced a deal to distribute a line of private-label ATV and “side-by-side” utility vehicles through Bass Pro Shops’ dealership network. The “Tracker” branded all-terrain products will be produced at the division’s Jacobsen campus, the former Procter & Gamble detergent plant at Mike Padgett Highway and Marvin Griffin Road.
Ernest, who previously headed Textron’s larger aviation division in Wichita, Kan., said a test track is being built at the facility to put the new off-road vehicles through their paces.
“It’s 180 acres over there, so we have plenty of room to build these off-road test tracks,” Ernest said. “We’re pretty excited about that.”
The Providence, R.I.-based conglomerate appointed Ernest to head Textron Specialized Vehicles in October to replace Kevin Holleran, who led the division for 11 years and oversaw the 2017 acquisition of Minnesota-based Arctic Cat – a merger intended to make Textron a major player in a growing powersports industry, which is dominated by companies such as Polaris, Can-Am and Kawasaki.
Difficulties integrating the struggling ATV and snowmobile manufacturer led to declining revenue for the unit throughout 2017 and 2018, leading the multi-industry Fortune 500 company to call in Ernest, who successfully merged Hawker Beechcraft into its aircraft business while overseeing development of the Citation Longitude jet and the Cessna Denali turboprop projects.
Textron’s $6 billion, 13,000-employee aviation business is roughly 10 times the size of its Augusta-based vehicle division. Ernest, who spent 29 years with General Electric before joining Textron in 2011, said he believes he brings a new perspective to the local operation.
“I have a fresh set of eyes,” he said. “I have the abilities to help develop the team to think differently and allow them to get out of their set ways, how they’ve always done things. I think it’s healthy to move people around and get some different experiences.”
The most high-profile change has been the deal Textron inked with Bass Pro Shops, in which Textron will begin building a line of ATVs and side-by-sides under the outdoor retailer’s in-house “Tracker” brand this spring. The vehicles would be sold through the 180 Bass Pro and Cabela’s stores as well as its network of 570 White River Marine Group-affiliated dealerships.
Textron Specialized Vehicles dipped its toes into the off-road market in the late 2000s by launching its ST 4X4 model. It expanded its all-terrain portfolio by acquiring Bad Boy off-road vehicles in 2010 and launching its Stampede product line in 2016. It sought to strengthen its position by acquiring Minnesota-based Arctic Cat a year later.
The Bass Pro-Tracker deal, whose kickoff party featured celebrities including star quarterback Peyton Manning, country music singer Luke Bryan, bull-riding legend “Cool Hand” Luke Snyder and pro angler Jimmy Houston, is expected to boost Textron’s gravitas and exposure in the outdoor industry.
Bass Pro “does a phenomenal job in the outdoor arena,” said Ernest, an avid fisherman. “They touch not just thousands, but hundreds of millions of people. Basically, they have the sales and distribution responsibilities and we have the engineering and manufacturing responsibilities. We’re pretty excited about that channel and being able to work together.”
The all-American deal is backed up by an all-American pledge by Textron; the Tracker all-terrain vehicles being built in Augusta were previously Arctic Cat-brand products manufactured in Asia. Arctic Cat will produce some of the Tracker product line at its Minnesota plant.
Ernest said moving production stateside is as profitable as it is patriotic. For one, the ATVs and side-by-side market in Asia is virtually nonexistent. Foreign plants also respond slower to production fluctuations and customer-recommended changes. Also, local plants have better quality-control measures.
“The workforce here (in Augusta), you give them the challenge and they jump right on it,” Ernest said. “I mean, we’ve got people with a great attitude and energy around here trying to be as competitive as possible. And you don’t have to wait on a boat coming from halfway around the world to get your product here ... I’m a strong believer in trying to control your destiny.”
Adding three new Tracker lines at the former P&G plant represents a $5 million investment that will create up to 75 permanent jobs, Ernest said. Some of those employees will likely be graduates of Textron’s Reaching Potential through Manufacturing, or “RPM,” school-to-work program, in which potential dropouts are given the opportunity to work toward their diploma while earning money and on-the-job experience from Textron.
The 100-employee RPM facility supplies parts and sub-assemblies for the 300-employee Jacobsen/Tracker plant at the corner of Marvin Griffin Road as well as the company’s 1,300-employee Marvin Griffin Road operation, which for decades has produced the division’s most widely recognized product: E-Z-Go golf cars and personal transportation vehicles, or “PTVs.”
And how’s the golf business?
Stable, Ernest says, adding that market share between E-Z-Go and its competitors – namely crosstown rival Club Car and Newnan, Ga.-based Yamaha Golf – is fairly static.
However, Ernest said Textron’s golf segment is up 20 percent so far this year, largely on the strength of the company’s ELiTE line of lithium-powered electric cars.
“Our new lithium product has really taken off well,” he said. “I would say we are definitely the leader in technology when it comes to lithium electrical power. We’re taking that technology and really trying to push it back into other products, whether it’s our ground-support equipment or some of our turf applications. I’m not saying we’re going to get into Teslas or anything, but we are looking for some other opportunities.”
The company’s biggest growth opportunity is in the powersports market, where Textron accounts for just 15,000 of the 450,000 units sold industry-wide each year.
“It’s a huge market,” Ernest said. “I think with this new distribution network, it should allow us to compete a little more effectively. We’re looking forward to it.”
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We don't need Sandrails. Honestly the current turbo offerings are more than enough in stock form. Look no further than the carnage pictures after every holiday weekend. LOL! Joe Fab is laughing all the way to the bank since the turbo models hit the market.
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I want, but I can't haz
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I would say price point compared to any other n/s car is #1 killer. Greatest car built or not. Lol. #2 robby Gordon ruined the car with his suspension patents. Who wants to buy a car and only have his parts as an option. Lol. We all strive to buy and build these cars in different forms and fashions. Lol. #3 what desert race has this car dominated? I keep seeing popo and x3 on podiums everywhere. Bullock is the exception ofcourse. But there have been a lot of high end speedsxs cars that dnf'd damn near every major race they've been in. Every car has pros and cons, but the cons keep adding up on the XX.
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There you go !!!
If Textron wants to become a major player in the offroad world they need to turn their R&D over to Howe & Howe Who Textron just purchased and let them design some new off-road machines and improvements to the existing line. There are still way too many new buyers that we see on here every week that are experiencing serious quality control issues that need to be taken care of and I haven’t been able to make one ride with my first or second XX without having CV boots split or sway bar falling apart it’s absolutely ridiculous for the money we pay for these things to have to deal with even those kind of problems.
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You don't need the parts.
Have you driven one?
RG's shit is for the ballers that really can't handle the shit anyway.
Husted has come close...but no cigar.
Ruined the car...LOL
Build something better...good luck.
Chase me in the dez with my stocker.
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I'm eyeballin the spring compressor right now- $30...
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I have driven the car. Not in the desert. It is a great car for sure. Polaris and can am may not have robbys patent suspension but are on podiums in all classes. X3 has been a knockout in it's very first year hitting Polaris hard. The dealers still have 18 and 19 XX cars for sale all over. Seen one on Instagram last night for 15k and change. Lol. You can buy a turbo s velocity or x3 xrs here for 23k. I know you have one and it's the greatest and that's cool. I would have bought one myself. Just waiting to see what artic cat does. How well do you think Polaris or yamaha would do with no aftermarket support and design patents?
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I think you are in Kali- correct?
that 23k for most dealers is like 26-27 OTD.
A LOT more coin.
I paid 18600 OTD - registered in Kali.
15k for a beat up year old car is not that much depreciation.
My buddy just bought a used XP1000...has clutch issues already...rolling the dice unless you know where it came from.
What do you think the % of folks buy one of these cars for 20K plus and want an A/M suspension? Probably low single digits.
You do not need that with this car is my point. If you do want it- it is there. There is NOTHING wrong with the fab work on RG's stuff. I would be buying the 1k axles also- dual plunge.
They work awesome in stock trim.
A little tweaking and they work even more awesome.
If I was younger, my brother and I (and a few select friends) would be racing the XX in basic stock form...no doubt. That ship has sailed for me unfortunately.
My point is that every car has it's issues. As soon as you start to modify, add weight, leveraged suspension and drivelines, add HP...etc...they become unreliable...you are always chasing something. KISS- Keep it Simple is my mantra.
Do I want the XX to succeed? Hell yeah I do. It's platform is like no other in the industry...precisely why I bought it.
I have a grand total of 20,300 TOTAL into my car - not including a set of paddles and bead locks. Worth every penny so far.
I will get the shocks done some day...as for now, I am adjusting them to my liking in stock form. My brother says he wants the full RG kit with Kings...I laughed and said he wouldn't be any faster or have any more fun with what we ride on. I told him to buy a motorhome with the coin...
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Total loss. I am in oregon, those are out the door prices. The 15k wildcat xx on Instagram was new. Like I said great car lots to offer. Yet no more to offer than other manufacturers at a better cost. I've passed up xp1000s for 13.9k brand new here too
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Mine weighs 1900lbs without me in it and with only half a tank of fuel, so about 2100lbs with me in it and a full tank. I know because I weighed it on a certified scale. I understand racing is on another level, but ive done longer than a 3 mile wash driving hard, not at these power levels, but hard driving enough to where it was either wide open throttle or full on 100% brakes, nothing inbetween. I have bent a few front axles but never a problem with the rear.
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Watch Justin's vid on the Mint. Similar car...
He ALMOST made it in 2wd.
He definitely slowed down to finish.
He ALMOST made it in 2wd.
He definitely slowed down to finish.
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You don't pay tax either. We do here...I pay a minimal amount for Kali- 7.25%
15k OTD for an XX ? I would like to see that bill of sale.
XP1000's here are 16k otd.
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