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Polaris Industries Inc. is celebrating sixty years of All-Terrain and sports vehicle production.
To mark the occasion the company held a special ride-out event at Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel, Daventry, yesterday (Thursday 5th June) which saw them demonstrate their range of vehicles - including a sneak preview of the new Sportsman UTE ATV, which is due to have its official UK debut at the Royal Highland Show on June 19.
Polaris Britain Country Manager, Phil Everett at Hellidon Lakes, with the Ranger line-up
Founded in 1954 by Allen Hetteen, Edgar Hetteen and David Johnson the company built its first Snowmobile in 1956. Since 1985 Polaris has sold over two million ATVs and became a publicly quoted company in 1987.
The early nineties saw the introduction of the first personal water craft and by 1998 the Polaris Ranger was introduced. The company diversified again in the same year with the introduction of the first Polaris on-road vehicles: the Victory Motorcycles - now complemented with the acquisition of the famous Indian Motorcycle brand.
The sports vehicle output has been rapidly expanding with the introduction of the Polaris RZR, the trail-capable and racing versions of the side-by-side. Guests at the Hellidon event who tried out the RZR for themselves were blown away by the vehicle's speed and handling - a truly awesome experience.
And introduced earlier this year was a completely new concept for ATVs and UTVs, the Polaris Sportsman ACE which features a sit-in chassis.
The new UTE which was previewed at Hellidon, has been designed from the ground up specifically for the UK, Australian and New Zealand markets.
"The UTE is perfect for some of the trickier terrain in parts of Scotland, Wales, the North West and South West of England where there are concentrations of hill farming," said Polaris Country Manager, Phil Everett. "One of the key features is a new Polaris 4 wheel Descent Control (4WDC) which was designed specifically for hill work. The system automatically engages on all four wheels when travelling down slopes for optimum traction and control in all conditions."