Polaris 2015 Annual Report Download - page 10
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Please find page 10 of the 2015 Polaris annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.>> Adjusting cranskshaft
alignment allowed us to
make the SportsmanXP
narrower for greater
comfort
POWERTRAIN
Our commitment to the bottom line led us to strengthen
our internal powertrain expertise. We began building
our own engines in1995 on a small scale, but as a
growing company, we couldn’t aord to be at the mercy
of suppliers for such a key component. In2009, we
began expanding this critical in-house function, giving
us three key advantages:
>> Lower cost
Suppliers typically charge 20 to 30percent
more to develop a custom engine than it
costs us to do it in-house.
>> Faster time to market
A custom engine from a supplier typically
takes four to five years to develop, an
unacceptable timeline for a competitive
company. We built Indian Motorcycle’s iconic
Thunder Stroke111™ engine in just 27months.
>> The flexibility to be more innovative
We can experiment more cost-eectively
with radical ideas that help exceed customer
desires. That allows us to make innovative
improvements like switching the typical
east-west alignment of an All-Terrain Vehicle
(ATV) crankshaft to north-south on our
SportsmanXP models. It gave them a narrower
stance—making them more comfortable
for riders and helping make Sportsman the
best-selling ATV intheindustry.