ILMA Compoundings April 2017 - 20

INDUSTRY RUNDOWN

Market Report

Engines Produced in North America - 500cc - 1,500cc
1,750,000
1,700,000
1,650,000
1,600,000
1,550,000
1,500,000
1,450,000
1,400,000
1,350,000
1,300,000
Total

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

1,469,552

1,565,202

1,616,589

1,655,416

1,695,425

1,694,095

Source: PSR EnginLink™ Database

ersports units, down 3.8 percent from 2015. The 12-month
total for 2015 was 729,075 units. This total includes ATVs,
scooters and motorcycles.
The MIC numbers do not include SxS machines, one of
the fastest-growing segments in the powersports market.
SxS machines run to 1,000 cc engines that can generate 110
horsepower, such as the Polaris RZR line-up of Sport-Recreational vehicles, and hit speeds of 70 mph and more.
A similar industry picture comes from PSR. According to
its figures, an estimated 244,000 SxS units were produced in
North America in 2011, including electric models.
There also were 232,100 SxS gasoline and diesel engines
used by OEMs in North America during that same year;
these include imported engines and engines manufactured
in North America.
PSR estimates that SxS production this year in North
America could be more than 430,000 units, nearly double
the 2011 figure. However, the situation isn't an entirely
bright one. Production in 2016 is expected to be about
438,000, and then drop to about 416,700 in 2019 before
rebounding to an estimated 431,300 in 2021. The drop is
expected because of cyclical changes in the overall economy.
BIGGER AND BIGGER
The average engine displacement has been steadily increasing for North American utility vehicles. PSR figures show
that in 2011, most engines produced (50.1 percent) were in
the 751-1,000 cc range. Engines above 1,000 cc accounted
for 3.4 percent of all production.
Using estimated figures for 2015, PSR calculates that the
751-1,000 segment drops to 47.2 percent, while those
above 1,000 accounted for 6 percent of total production.
Looking at it another way, the production of large engines

APRIL 2017

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

above 1,000 cc climbed from 7,915 in 2011 to 23,920 in
2015, an increase of 202 percent.
At the same time, production of engines in the 501-750
range climbed from 46,585 to 125,003, or 168 percent.
Total production climbed 72.7 percent, from 232,000 to
417,500 from 2011 to 2016.
From 2011 to 2015, there was huge growth in engines
with displacements above 500 cc. In 2011, there were
59,000 engines produced smaller than 500 cc. In four years,
this number only climbed to 62,400, an increase of 5.5
percent. By comparison, engines above 500 cc increased to
338,000 units, or 95 percent.
Much of the growth in these large engines comes in the
Sport-Rec category of powerful recreational machines,
such as the Polaris RZR, Arctic Wildcat and BRP Maverick. Several of these 1,000 cc models come with EFI and
include turbos.
SUMMARY
Look for continued changes in the areas of engine size,
EFI and turbos as OEMs push the competitive power race
and continue to battle for market share, especially in the
Sport-Rec segment of SxS, and for commercial users.
We don't see significant growth in the North American
SxS market for several years, but the market for engine lubes
seems to hold substantial promise as engine size increases
and as riders continue to push for more performance at
higher speeds in tough off-road conditions.
Aistrup is a senior market analyst at Power Systems
Research (PSR), a global market research and consulting
company based in St. Paul, Minn. He can be reached
at 651-905-8400.

http://www.ILMA.ORG

ILMA Compoundings April 2017

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