Honda has been keeping a low profile these days with its recently introduced Big Red.
Honda, perennially paranoid about product liability, especially in the wake of the Yamaha Rhino situation, has chosen to market its new UTV almost exclusively to the pure utility, non-recreational market.
We’re not sure such a market exists and here’s what we mean. Five years ago when SxS makers began aggressively positioning their vehicles as both utility and recreation conveyances, sales of UTVs began to skyrocket.
We think the issue looks like this: Buyers of SXS vehicles justify their purchases in both directions equally. If a buyer rationalizes the cost of a side by side as a “work” vehicle, the icing on the cake is a weekend fishing trip with it.
If it’s purchased to get to the fishing hole with a box full of camping gear, the price is rationalized on Monday morning at the job site.
Honda may find this an unusual place to sit in the multi-purpose UTV marketplace.
