Arctic Cat is making moves after a tumultuous year or two, as the brand was saved by some die-hard lovers of all things white and powdery. No, get your head out of the gutter, this ain't the '80s corporate boardrooms of Gordon Gecko anymore, we're talking about snow. Freshly fallen snow.
Indeed, the folks who took over the Thief River Falls, Minnesota-based snowmobile company, are complete snow-files, and have not only rehired many of the folks who were initially laid off from the company's previous owners, Textron, but they've introduced new sleds, restarted their racing outfits, and are now even expanding their footprint. And that last one, the company is doing in an extremely interesting way.
See, instead of purchasing a parts company or maker that more closely resembles the brand's awesome snowmobiles, Arctic Cat has purchased the Canadian outfit, Widescape, which makes "a standup enduro" snowmobile, but more closely resembles that of a standup PWC than anything else.
Interesting.
For those unfamiliar with Widescape, don't worry about it, the brand is still very much in its infancy, as it was only introduced to the public in 2023. As for design, just look at it and you'll see why I made the parallels to the stand-up PWCs that were all the rage in the late '90s and early aughts thanks to arcade racing games and IRL PWC races.
According to Arctic Cat's release about the purchase, "First introduced in 2023, the Widescape WS250 is a narrow, single-passenger vehicle designed for over-snow fun. Its proprietary 242cc EFI liquid-cooled 4-stroke engine sends power through a traditional CVT clutching system to a 12- by 105-inch track featuring 1.5-inch lugs. The track wraps around a single-shock rear suspension with 4 inches of travel. Up front, a 12-inch-wide single ski is connected to a dual-strut suspension with 5.5 inches of travel."
The whole machine, however, weighs just 200 pounds, which supposedly makes it pretty agile on the snow. As for price, you'll need to drop $5,999 for the Widescape, which ain't that bad considering most new snowmobiles cost twice as much. But the acquisition marks a stepping off point for Arctic Cat, as the brand has been in recovery mode for months now.
Like I said, it nearly died only a year ago. So to already be acquiring companies, even ones that are tangentially part of the space, that's big news. As for the veracity of the acquisition, that'll be one for the market to decide, as while the Widescape isn't badly priced, snowmobiles and snow companies have had rough times as of late. Climate change has wreaked havoc on powder days, causing registrations to fall, and sales to slide. But given the Widescape could be the go-between a full sled and not going out, and looks as if it can handle even smaller snowfalls, it could be a great get.
"Arctic Cat is charging forward into a bold new future," said Brad Darling, Arctic Cat's President and CEO, adding, "And the acquisition of the Widescape brand demonstrates our belief in the long-lasting future of on-snow motorized recreation."
