Yamaha to discontinue utility ATV sales in Australia

Yamaha Motor Australia (YMA) confirmed on 18 March that they will follow suit, but are only withdrawing their utility ATVs and will make that withdrawal a year after Polaris, on the eve of the mandatory requirement for Operator Protection Devices (OPD), which comes into effect after 11 October, 2021.

With 3,748 sales in 2019, including the Kodiak 450 (696 sales - the top-selling ATV), Yamaha’s decision to leave the Australian utility ATV market has not been taken lightly, but the impact will be cushioned slightly by the continuation of sports and youth ATVs like the YFM90R and YFZ50, that are exempt from the OPD requirement, as well as their Side-by-Side (SSV) vehicles that have built-in rollover protection systems.

Yamaha have stated that they will comply with stage one of the new consumer legislation, that includes testing and the fitment of warning labels from 11 October, 2020, but like Polaris, Yamaha has argued that the science behind the introduction of OPDs is flawed, and that they are not prepared to back a device that they claim has not been tested. As such, they will not sell utility ATVs in Australia after 10 October, 2021.

“The decision to make the fitment of OPDs compulsory is disappointing,” explains Yamaha Motor Australia Director Brad Ryan.

“The ruling has forced us to withdraw utility ATVs from the Australian market because, as a manufacturer, we are not willing to gamble with our customers lives by bolting untested devices onto our specifically engineered and designed ATVs.
“Fortunately, our utility ATV customers can transition to our equally capable lineup of Ag bikes and expanding SSV range,” Ryan added.
YMA say they will continue to service ATVs and supply parts and accessories for ATVs already in the hands of customers via Yamaha’s national dealer network into the future.