Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF), a premier consumer financial services company with 80 years of retail heritage, today announced a new, multi-year agreement to provide installment lending programs with KYMCO, a leading manufacturer in the motorsports industry for more than 50 years.

KYMCO USA distributes Scooters, ATVs and Side by Sides available through more than 600 dealer locations nationwide. The agreement will provide installment financing for purchasers of new and used KYMCO products, strengthening Synchrony Financial’s position in the powersports market.

“Consumers looking to make major purchases such as the products that KYMCO USA sells are diligent when making these decisions, and the availability of promotional financing plays a key role in that thought process,” said Stephen Motta, general manager, Powersports, Synchrony Financial. “Our research* shows that powersports consumers are primarily driven by quality products, but the availability of financing is a critical component of the purchasing decision.”

A 2014 study commissioned by Synchrony Financial of powersports customers explores the path to purchase and shows that, while value is important, the majority of shoppers choose a brand based on quality and trust. Further, consumers surveyed said installment financing allows them to budget for a large purchase, know what their monthly payments will be, and keep other credit lines free for emergency and everyday uses.

“We’re pleased to work with Synchrony Financial due to their deep experience and insights into customer trends in the motorsports industry,” said Bruce Ramsey, KYMCO USA vice president of Sales and Marketing. “They clearly understand our customers and know how to provide the right financing for them to get the product they want and need.”

KYMCO’s roots in the power sports industry go back to it’s founding in 1963 as the Kwang Yang Motor Co. Ltd. With headquarters in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, KYMCO has long been a leader in quality, fuel economy and versatility. Today KYMCO is the largest scooter manufacturer in Taiwan, exports to 89 countries worldwide, and manufactures scooters, motorcycles, ATVs and UXV side-by-side vehicles at five ISO-9001 quality accredited plants in Asia. Serving consumers and a selection of valued OEM clients, KYMCO is committed to maximum customer satisfaction, constant innovation, and making use of the most advanced CAD/CAE tools to bring superior engineering and design to their products. KYMCO USA, wholly owned by Kwang Yang Motor Co. Ltd., is the exclusive importer/distributor of KYMCO brand products in the United States. With its headquarters, marketing and distribution based in Spartanburg, S.C., KYMCO USA serves more than 600 dealers in the U.S. and Caribbean and is dedicated to building the brand’s reputation and market share through superior value, frequent new product introductions, excellence in dealer network support, participation in enthusiast events, race support and sponsorship, and strategic industry partnerships with organizations such as AMA Pro Road Racing, NHRA, Tread Lightly!, (SVIA) Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and (MIC) Motorcycle Industry Council.

Learn more at KYMCOUSA.com.

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII), the leading manufacturer of off-road vehicles, today launched new tools to urge U.S. Representatives to co-sponsor H.R. 999, The RIDE (ROV In-Depth Examination) Act.

To help show their support of this newly-introduced bill, off-road enthusiasts should click here to send a message to their local representatives.

After congress received more than 90,000 messages concerning the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) proposed mandates for off-road, side-by-side vehicles (ROVs), U.S. Representatives Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced The RIDE Act.

The bill would postpone the ROV rulemaking until the CPSC’s proposals are studied and evaluated by the National Academy of Sciences in consultation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Department of Defense (DOD).

This independent review will help ensure that ROV design standards are appropriate for off-road riding environments, will not unnecessarily compromise off-road performance and safety, and will not lead to unintended consequences. The new grassroots campaign will urge representatives of riders and dealers to support The RIDE Act.

“Polaris would like to thank off-road enthusiasts who made their voices heard by contacting their Members of Congress and expressing their concern about the CPSC ROV rulemaking,” said Paul Vitrano, VP, global government relations for Polaris. “As a result, we now have pending legislation that will help ensure any ROV standards are appropriate, but we still need your help in urging your representatives to co-sponsor the bill.”

Off-road enthusiasts looking for more information about The RIDE Act can find it HERE.

For more information about the CPSC ROV Rulemaking, visit StoptheROVMandate.com.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

WORCS Round 2 at Buffalo Bills, in Primm, Nevada, would see Polaris RZRs sweep the SxS Pro Podium with David Haagsma taking the checkered flag in his Polaris RZR and Polaris Factory Racers Mitch Guthrie Jr. and Beau Baron taking second and third.

Guthrie Jr., fresh off the win as a co-pilot at King of the Hammers (KOH), would change the tires on the KOH car and use it to race the WORCS SxS Unlimited Class. He would take second in the class showing the durability and versatility of the RZR XP 1000 EPS. He’d also take second with his WORCS RZR XP 1000 EPS in the Pro class.

The single-seat class would see three Polaris ACEs line up with Ronnie Anderson in his Walker Evans/UTVUnderground/Polaris ACE 570 taking the win.

The next WORCS race is in Peoria, Arizona, February 27-March 1

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

Polaris comes into the 2015 off-road race season with teams competing in the Grand National Cross Country series (GNCC), World Off-Road Championship series (WORCS), Best in the Desert (BITD), SCORE International, Lucas Off-Road Regional Racing Series (LORRS), King of the Hammers (KOH) and Mud racing.

The company has expanded its race team once again for 2015 in RZR racing and will continue to field a Scrambler race team in GNCC. Polaris will continue to offer their ATV and Side-by-Side contingency and reimbursement program and has added a racer discount program for experienced racers on select models, including the Polaris ACE which a few racing series have added for the 2015 racing season.

“Polaris enjoyed a very successful 2014 race season and is excited to make an even bigger commitment to racing for 2015,” said Donna Beadle, race team manager for Polaris’ Off-Road Division. “We look forward to another great season.”

GNCC

Polaris will continue to support National Guard/Polaris/Coastal racing for 2015. William Yokley and Scott Kiger will run the GNCC XC1 Pro Class for 2015. Yokley will run the new RZR S 900 while teammate Kiger will continue to run a RZR XP 1000. The team also has added XC2 Racer John Henry to run a RZR S 900 in the class.

Polaris also will continue to sponsor Big Country Powersports’ John Yokley to run a RZR S 900 in the XC1 Pro class. Yokley has been in the top five in the class the past couple years and should have a great 2015 season.

On the ATV racing side, Michael Swift of Team UXC/Driven PowerSports has one year under his belt with the Scrambler in the Pro 4×4 class and will continue to race for Polaris in 2015. The team also has added Pro Racer Kevin Trantham and 4×4 Senior Racer Don Higbee, who spent 2014 racing Best in the Desert and SCORE with the Scrambler XP 1000 EPS. Team UXC/Driven PowerSports also will be fielding a Polaris RZR S 900 for the 2015 GNCC UTV races.

After winning the TORN Championship, Team UXC/Driven PowerSports’ Chris Robinson will continue to race the Scrambler XP 1000 EPS in Texas.

BITD/SCORE

For BITD, Jagged X is back for 2015 racing the familiar No.1919 RZR XP 1000 piloted by 2014 BITD Champion Brandon Schueler and co-piloted by Blake Van de Loo. The No. 1931 car also will compete in all BITD races with Craig Scanlon as the Driver of Record and co-piloted by Keith Redstrom. Jagged X also will have Matt Parks competing in the SCORE series in the No.1932 RZR XP 1000.

Justin Lambert of Cognito Racing will continue to race for the RZR BITD and SCORE Teams. Lambert had a great 2014 with a win at the Silver State and looks to continue his success for 2015 in a RZR XP 4 1000.

New for 2015, Polaris has added Baja 1000 Side-by-Side Winner Johnny Angal of UTV Inc., Baja 1000 Side-by-Side winner Branden Sims of Sims Motorsports and 2014 SCORE Champion Marc Burnett to the team. All three will race the full BITD series and also SCORE.

WORCS

Beau Baron, who won the SxS Pro Production championship in 2014, Ryan Piplic, who finished second, Mitch Guthrie Jr. who finished fourth and RJ Anderson who finished fifth are back for 2015 running SxS Pro. Ronnie Anderson will run Production 1000. All racers will run RZR XP 1000 units.

King of the Hammers

Five-time King of the Hammers Winner Mitch Guthrie is back for 2015 looking to capture another hammer with the RZR XP 1000. Jagged X’s Blake Van de Loo and co-driver Brandon Schueler are in search of a hammer this year in their RZR XP 1000. Jagged X also will provide support for Jon Crowley racing a RZR S 900 and Andrew Gorman who will also race a RZR.

High Lifter

Team High Lifter-Polaris Racing will be muddin’ once again for 2015. Racers include Brian Haughton and Adam Schumaker who will race the Sportsman XP 850, Sportsman 570 SP, RANGER XPs and RANGER RZRs.

Lucas Off-Road Racing Series

2014 Production 1000 and Stock XP 900 Champion Cody Rahders is back for 2015 running a RZR XP 1000 in the series.

Polaris Contingency, Reimbursement Program and Racer Discount Program

New for 2015, Polaris is offering discounts on select RZR, Scrambler and ACE vehicles to those racers who raced at least half of the races of a qualifying racing series in 2014 and intend to race full 2015 season. For all other racers, Polaris will continue to offer their Reimbursement Program for new 2014 or 2015 Scramblers, RZRs and ACEs purchased after Sept. 1. 2014.

Racers interested in this program will receive a $1000 reimbursement at the end of the season as long as they competed in more than half of the qualifying events (GNCC, WORCS, BITD, SCORE and LORRS). The reimbursement will be limited to the first 50 qualified submissions.

Polaris also will continue to offer an ATV race contingency program, in two ATV racing series, GNCC and WORCS and a side-by-side contingency in the Best in the Desert and SCORE International.
The total purse is more than $65,000. Racers must race 2013 or newer Scrambler XP 850 H.O. or Scrambler XP 1000 ATVs for the ATV contingency and must run the Pro Class and a contingency is offered for RZR product in Best in the Desert Pro or SCORE International Pro classes.

More information and complete rules about Polaris’ Reimbursement Program and racing contingencies can be found at polarisfactoryracing.com.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

The King of the Hammers (KOH) is known as the toughest off-road race in the world but Polaris Factory Racer Mitch Guthrie and his co-driver Mitch Guthrie Jr. are tougher winning their sixth Hammer in seven years, all in Polaris RZRs.

Thirty-four Pro Class side-by-sides, predominately RZRs, would line up to try to take the Hammer and a brand-new 2015 RZR XP 1000 EPS, which was offered to the Pro Class winner as part of Polaris RZR being the official side-by-side of the race.

This year’s course was the toughest one yet where the drivers would have to overcome some of the most difficult terrain in the world, such as the Wrecking Ball, Clawhammer, Jackhammer and Chocolate Thunder.

Guthrie in his Guthrie Racing RZR XP 1000 EPS sporting the No. 1 plate would be one of only five side-by-sides to finish, and he’d do it by more than 80 minutes in front of the next Pro Class finisher. Polaris Factory Racer Branden Sims in his No. 1913 Lone Star Racing RZR XP 1000 EPS would give Guthrie a run for his money during the race but Sims would end up with the same fate of a majority of the racers which would give Guthrie clear sailing to the end.

Jon Crowley in a predominately stock RZR S 900 EPS, took third in the Pro Class with no mechanical issues, showing the durability of one of the newest RZR offerings. A RZR XP 1000 EPS, piloted by Chad Hughes would finish fourth making three of the four Pro Class finishers RZRs.

“This is the sixth win in a Polaris! This was, by far, the longest, roughest, most-brutal race that King of The Hammers has thrown at us yet and we had zero failures,” said Guthrie. “Thanks again to Polaris for making the best machine out there.”

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC) and Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), have reached a historic manufacturing milestone recently surpassing the completion of 3 million vehicles at the U.S. manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia.

The historic 3 millionth unit was a Grizzly 700 ATV, one of the best selling utility 4×4 ATVs of all time, and it was completed in late December 2014. Yamaha held a celebration at the Newnan factory on January 23, 2015, to recognize this significant milestone and thank the company’s employees for their dedication to producing the highest quality vehicles. Among the vehicles produced at YMMC are ATVs, Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles, Golf Cars and Personal Watercraft.

YMMC is Yamaha’s worldwide hub of off-highway vehicle (OHV) manufacturing where all of the company’s ATV and SxS vehicles are produced for national and international distribution. The YMMC facility covers 280 acres with more than 1.3 million square feet of manufacturing facilities giving it a massive physical footprint in Newnan. It has seen growth in recent years as the company has completed an ATV production transfer and ramped up an expanding, dedicated SxS production plant.

“Yamaha has invested more than $250 million into U.S. manufacturing over the past 15 years creating a world-class facility in Newnan,” said Mike Chrzanowski, executive vice president of YMMC, who attended the January 23 event. “Whether it be ATV or Side-by-Side vehicles, Golf Cars or Personal Watercraft, YMMC strives to maintain the highest production quality and environmental standards, while giving back to the community through comprehensive corporate social responsibility programs.”

Between the YMMC facility and YMUS corporate offices in Kennesaw, Georgia, Yamaha now employs approximately 2,040 people in the state of Georgia – more than half of the 3,644 people the company directly employs in the United States. These numbers have grown significantly since 2011 when Yamaha employed approximately 1,300 and 2,800 people, respectively.

“Yamaha continues to add personnel and strengthen operations in Georgia as the Side-by-Side line expands with popular new models like the recently announced Wolverine R-Spec Side-by-Side,” said Mike Martinez, YMUS vice president of Recreational Vehicle (RV) operations, which is based in Kennesaw. “Yamaha is planning for future growth as we continue to increase SxS production and prepare for additional models and increased customer demand in the future.”

Yamaha’s increasing business and production impact in Georgia and throughout the United States have been felt in recent years. YMMC alone employs nearly 1,500 people at the factory – up almost 400 since the ATV production transfer began in 2011 – with plans to add another 150 jobs in 2015 to help support continued growth including increased Side-by-Side vehicle production.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS) a leader in the motorsports market, makes the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of dealers in the United States. Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia.

For more information on Yamaha, visit yamaha-motor.com.

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced the company, through its employees and matched by The Polaris Foundation, raised almost $30,000 for Special Olympics Minnesota. The company also donated two snowmobiles which will be offered at raffle by the organization.

“Polaris is proud to lead the way in fundraising efforts for the Special Olympics Minnesota’s Polar Plunge,” said Scott Wine, Polaris Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “This organization provides wonderful programs for more than 8,100 Special Olympic Minnesota athletes and I’m pleased our employees embraced the cause in such a big way.”

As part of the fundraising effort, Polaris employees had the No. 1 team with 110 “Plungers” from the organization participating at the White Bear Lake Plunge, on Saturday, January 31.

The event saw more than 8,000 attendees, consisting of Plungers and spectators, who spent the day watching the Plunge, snacking on food, meeting Snowflake, the Plunge mascot, and checking out Polaris’ new ground-breaking on-road vehicle, Polaris Slingshot.

The White Bear Polar Plunge was only the second of several Plunges happening around the state. Interested parties can find more information at plungemn.org. People interested in the snowmobiles being raffled by Special Olympics Minnesota can find more information at www.plungemn.org/polaris-raffle or by visiting any of the upcoming metro Plunge locations to purchase a raffle ticket.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all- terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles. Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian Motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered parts, accessories and apparel, Klim branded apparel, and ORV accessories under the Kolpin and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel, and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at www.polaris.com.