DIRTsports Project Rhino: Part 1 - The Off-Road Nation is quickly becoming a Rhino Nation too. We take Yamaha's smash hit side-by-side to Moab to find out why. - ATV at Off-Road.com
DIRTsports Project Rhino: Part 1The Off-Road Nation is quickly becoming a Rhino Nation too. We take Yamaha's smash hit side-by-side to Moab to find out why.
In case you haven't noticed (actually, it would be nearly impossible not to), we are in the midst of an invasion. From
the grassy pits of Crandon, to the hills of Moab, to the sand dunes of Glamis, the Dirt Nation is overrun by rhinos. Yamaha
Rhinos, to be exact. Yes, these have horns too, but they run on four wheels–not four feet.
We first spotted these cool off-road machines at last year's Off-Road Expo in Pomona, with King Shocks and Wally World among
several exhibitors showcasing newly customized Rhinos. Consecutive trips to the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, the Off-Road
Impact show in Las Vegas and the sprawling main pit at the BITD Parker 400 made us abundantly aware of today's dynamic Rhino
scene. From bone stock to radical customs, the bloody things were everywhere, hauling tires, pulling race cars through tech
and contingency lines, carrying overflowing ice chests packed with beer–or, just whizzing by.
Most noticeable was the diverse mix of men, women, teens, drivers and crew members behind the wheel, all of them smiling.
Clearly, it was time to find what all the fuss is about. To us at DIRTsports, they seemed nothing more than toys, just one step above those insane, lifted golf carts. Truth be told, we were sorely mistaken.
THE ULTIMATE CROSSOVER
Since Yamaha first debuted its 2004 model Rhino in late 2003, the company has seen 200 to 300% growth in production per year,
reports Steve Nessl, public relations department manager, ATV and SxS Operations, Yamaha Motorsports Group. He adds that,
in certain parts of the country, "sales are still a waiting-list situation. We can't make enough of them."
Moreover, Google Rhino and you'll find an interesting mix of old and new manufacturers, outfitters and dealers catering to
this new crowd. Most intriguing, however, is that the Rhino is coming to represent an unprecedented crossover between the
traditional off-road and powersports markets. Seemingly overnight, big industry names have mobilized to supply every imaginable
utility, performance or accessory product for the vehicle, including performance chips, shocks, lighting, suspension kits,
wheel and tire combos, rollcages, skidplates and winches. The list seems endless: Fox, King, Walker Evans, KC HiLites, Beard,
Mastercraft, OMF Wheels, Maxxis Tires and Dragonfire, to name but a few. So how did the diminutive Rhino trigger this market
stampede?
The story begins at Yamaha, which spent roughly three years developing the vehicle, according to Mike Martinez, general manager
of the company's ATV and SxS Operations. He confirms that the American market strongly influenced Yamaha's designs: "For all
of the ATVs and side-by-sides, the products are developed based on the needs and desires of U.S. consumers, such as hunters,
farmers, outdoorsmen, recreation riders, etc." While, admittedly, Yamaha originally targeted the "true outdoorsman" he quickly
adds, "We did not ignore the fun factor... We believe that after people drive a Rhino it becomes apparent that it is much
more than just a utility-based vehicle."
Although Martinez and Nessl decline to discuss market strategies or sales figures, a 2005 Yamaha management report available
via the Internet identified the ATV field as a Yamaha priority for higher profitability by 2007. Titled Next50-Phase II, the
report positioned the Rhino as a new "SSV" category atop the ATV hierarchy, placing U.S. sales at 14,000 units in 2004 and
projecting 37,000 units by 2007. By all accounts, Rhino was an immediate hit with its intended audience of agricultural buyers
and outdoorsmen.
A lifelong enthusiast of off-road motorsports, Marty Fiolka raced his first SCORE Baja 1000 in 1992. A graduate of the California University at Long Beach, he formed the Rennsport Marketing Group in 1995 and executed public relations programs for Nissan, Infiniti, Exxon, Mitsubishi, and SCORE International. Now an eight-time Baja 1000 competitor and desert racing veteran, Fiolka is the associate producer of Dana Brown's Baja documentary, Dust to Glory, the author of the recently released coffee-table Baja 1000 history book 1000 Miles to Glory and the editorial director for Advanstar Communications.
Articles by Marty Fiolka
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