YMA TO DISCONTINUE UTILITY ATVS
Due to new Australian government legislation that requires the mandatory fitment of so-called Operator Protective Devices (OPDs) YMA will not sell utility ATVs after the government compliance deadline of 11 October 2021.
“The decision to make the fitment of OPDs compulsory is disappointing. 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,” explains YMA Director Brad Ryan.
As the market leader in this segment, Yamaha recognises that utility ATVs are an important part of farm operations and will comply with stage one of the new consumer legislation. This includes testing and the fitment of warning labels by Oct 2020. This will ensure that Yamaha ATVs remain available until October 2021.
After this date customers will not be able to purchase a new Yamaha utility ATV in Australia – but sport and youth models will continue to be available. This is because new sport and fun ATVs do not need to be fitted with OPDs. In addition, side-by-side vehicles (SSVs) are not affected by this ruling, so YMA will support our utility ATV dealers and ease the transition from ATV to AG bike and SSV business.
“Fortunately, our utility ATV customers can transition to our equally capable lineup of AG bikes and expanding SSV range,” adds YMA Director Brad Ryan.
Customer safety has always been our priority. YMA has provided market leading rider training and promoted proven safety methods. YMA also helped develop the Shark ATV helmet which is the only fully certified farm safe ATV helmet available. YMA feels so strongly about customer safety that purchasers of new Yamaha utility vehicles will receive a free Shark farm safe helmet valued at $250 while stocks last.
YMA is also fully committed to customer care via a national dealer network that will continue to service ATVs and with the supply of parts and accessories into the future.
