Polaris Industries bets big on defence, paramilitary forces

September 22, 2013 03:18 pm | Updated June 02, 2016 02:12 pm IST - Mumbai

Pankaj Dubey, Managing Director, Polaris, launches the four stroke "Sportsman 550 EPS" model, in Hyderabad. File photo: P.V. Sivakumar

Pankaj Dubey, Managing Director, Polaris, launches the four stroke "Sportsman 550 EPS" model, in Hyderabad. File photo: P.V. Sivakumar

The domestic arm of the U.S. off-road vehicle maker, Polaris Industries, expects 15 per cent of its revenue to come from government agencies, including from the defence and paramilitary forces, in the next three years.

“We feel that about 15 per cent of our India revenue should come from segments like defence, paramilitary forces, and state governments over the next two-three years,” Polaris India Managing Director Pankaj Dubey told PTI in Mumbai.

Mr. Dubey said Gujarat government has recently acquired four vehicles as part of a pilot project to patrol its international borders, adding, “We have approached a few other states too to sell our products. Some coastal police have tested these models and have evinced interest.”

Polaris manufactures off-roaders, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and electric powered models and those for recreational purposes.

“We have been able to demonstrate our products to the defence and paramilitary forces as well as states. But the deals with these institutions have a long gestation because of the procurement norms,” he said.

The demand for off-roaders in the domestic market which is at a nascent stage has been increasing year-on-year, Dubey said, adding, “We are tapping this growing market aggressively with new products, being the first organised player in the segment.”

Pegging the market for all-terrain vehicles at around 1,000-1,200 units in 2013, Mr. Dubey said, “We have sold around 700 units since our entry two years ago. So far this year, we posted a healthy growth of 25 per cent in sales.”

Mr. Dubey, however, said growth would have been much higher but for the poor market sentiment.

Polaris does not have a manufacturing base in the country and sells its imported models through 15 dealers.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.