Polaris Acquires Switzerland-Based Engine Developer
Polaris today announced its acquisition of Swissauto Powersports, a Switzerland-based designer of high-performance, high-efficiency engines and vehicles. Polaris says the acquisition will strengthen its global engine and vehicle design capability while also enhancing the company’s European presence.
Founded in 1987, Swissauto principally develops, prototypes and manufactures internal combustion engines. Polaris says it has a long history of working with the company. Swissauto developed the four-stroke Weber engine Polaris now uses in several snowmobiles.
In addition to recreational vehicle engines, Swissauto also has developed racing engines for World Motorcycle GP. The company’s V4 two-stroke 500cc engine drove 29 wins, 41 poles and three world championships during the 1990s, according to Polaris. A new racing bike was also developed by Swissauto and competed against larger Japanese OEMs during the late 1990s. Polaris says this bike achieved the pole position twice during its first season of racing and ranked in the top 10 several times.
“Swissauto has industry-leading powertrain design and development capabilities and a strong understanding of turbo-charging and high-performance engines,” Polaris CEO Scott Wine stated in a press release. “This acquisition directly supports our stated objectives to be the best in powersports and a global market leader.”
Polaris acquired the powersports portion of swissauto and will continue to operate in the Swissauto facility in Burgdorf. The automotive division of Swissauto was not involved in this acquisition and will continue to operate autonomously.
Posted by Arlo Redwine