MINNEAPOLIS (November 16, 2011) - Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced the acquisition of Goupil Industrie SA, a privately owned, Bourran, France-based manufacturer of on-road, commercial electric vehicles, built on a modular design that offers many functional options and appeals to a wide variety of customers. The move will add Goupil vehicles to Polaris' growing small electric vehicle product portfolio, while becoming part of a global brand will expand Goupil's reach, both within and outside its existing European sales base. Goupil, which reported approximately $25 million in sales during calendar year 2010, will continue operating in Bourran with its current staff.

"As Polaris continues to deliver outstanding performance and gain market share in our core business, we are excited to acquire Goupil and add to our growing small electric vehicle lineup. We are eager to pursue the natural synergies between their commercial light duty work products and the more people-mover oriented offerings from our GEM business," said Scott Wine, Polaris chief executive officer. "We see tremendous, long term growth in the global small electric vehicle market, and Goupil, with its established product line, history of profitable growth, and segment-leading European presence, will be an integral part of our strategy to realize that potential."

This acquisition further strengthens Polaris' position in the small electric vehicle market, building on the previous purchase of Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), an American manufacturer of electric vehicles. Goupil and GEM produce complementary vehicles, and their combined portfolio provides Polaris with a lineup of small electric vehicles suited to a wide range of utilizations, spanning from people-movers to light-duty haulers. By coupling Goupil and GEM with the recent minority investment in Brammo, Polaris now possesses a solid foundation for future innovation in electric vehicle technology.

"Joining Polaris presents us with the resources we require to grow into a stronger, more profitable business," said Pascal Duclos, co-founder of Goupil. "Polaris and Goupil share similar values, as we both build upon a core of innovation and quality products. We are thrilled to become part of Polaris and look forward to expanding Goupil's presence across all of Europe and into North America."

CLICK HERE to see our "Stories from the Road" Page!

A few months ago we created an area in this newsletter for your "Stories from the Road"  as a way to have you share your riding experiences. As of today, we have yet to receive any stories.

We find it hard to believe that no one has had a great experience  that they are willing to share with the rest of the Classic newsletter readers!

So, come on, which one of our valued readers will be the first to share their most awesome ride ever?  

To break the ice we are going to bribe you a little bit. The first one of you who sends us a usable story for the road will receive a $25.00 Dick Scott's Classic Motorcycle Gift Card! 

So let's get writing!

 - Jeff Scott  

To submit your a story,  CLICK HERE!     

By submitting your story, you are giving us permission to use it on our website 

and/or other areas where we see fit.