Polaris Deal Could Hurt Club Car

The deal between Polaris Industries and Bobcat Company announced in March could eliminate Club Car's agreement to supply private label machines to Bob Cat.

Bobcat Company is owned by Korean OEM Doosan, formerly known as Daewoo.

Under the "strategic alliance," Polaris and Bobcat are expected to jointly develop new work vehicles aimed at commercial market segments around the world. These vehicles would be targeted for introduction some time in the second half of 2010.

If that happens, Club Car’s private label agreement with Bobcat is likely to be terminated; this amounts to about 2,000 Workmate UTVs annually. Polaris would then probably supply Bobcat with a series of Ranger work UTVs under the Bobcat badge.

This agreement could include access to a diesel engine that Bobcat would source as a replacement for Kubota engines in their industry-leading skid-steer loader product line.

It’s possible that this engine could either be a Doosan or perhaps a Daedong diesel. Daedong is a Korean tractor manufacturer that sells farm tractors in the U.S. under the Kioti brand name. JD