Thanks to a cold and snowy winter in most of the snowbelt and a gradually improving economy, sales of new snowmobiles grew by 11 percent in the United States in the 2013-2014 selling season that wrapped up at the end of April 2014. In addition, new sled sales also grew 11 percent in Canada, according to figures released today, June 12, at the International Snowmobile Congress in Keystone, Colorado.
While announcing the sales figures at the big annual meeting of grass roots leaders from the sport of snowmobiling, International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) Executive Director Ed Klim also stated that the snowmobile market generates more than $28 billion of economic activity annually in the United States, according to a recent study.
“And, inventory levels [of new snowmobiles] are at their lowest levels in about 15 years – yeah!” Klim told a crowd of about 450 people who were attending the conference.
Digging into the numbers, new snowmobile sales in the 2013-14 season in the U.S. reached 54,028, up 11 percent over the 48,536 recorded the previous model year. The double-digit jump puts new snowmobile sales in the U.S. at their highest level since 2010.
Moreover, sales of parts, garments and accessories to snowmobilers in the U.S. grew by 20 percent year-over-year, Klim said, citing a survey done by ISMA.
The good news was repeated in Canada, where new snowmobile sales reached 48,758, up from 44,022 in the 2012-13 selling season and reaching their highest level since 2009.
“The industry is in very, very good shape in North America,” Klim stated.
Sales of new snowmobiles in Scandinavia and Russia also grew, though not quite at the remarkable rates they had been in recent years – sales in Russia two seasons ago were said to have grown at close to 30 percent. This past year, overseas sales climbed 9 percent.
Total is all up, and new snowmobile sales worldwide reached 157,106 units, the best in a long time, plus snowmobile trails programs are expanding rapidly in Norway, thanks to some rules changes there, Klim said.
