Should pending product updates not bear fruit over the next 2-3 years, Slingshot will likely be discontinued.

    The ball still remains in Polaris court.


    The automatic transmission will open the market to a much bigger audience but, it is up to Polaris to do the marketing to get those customers.

    Should they decide to save a few bucks and just dump the burden on dealers, the Slingshot will die a quick death.


    Racing season has just begun. This is a perfect target market. Polaris should be running commercials during every race highlighting the new changes. Get the word out that anyone can drive one. (except in my state of Massachusetts..... still need a form of a motorcycle endorsement X()


    Should the Slingshot become a distant memory, I am sure other manufacturers will develop something to fill the void.

    cam am spider has an automatic tranny.

    Harley has experienced slumping sales....

    Millennials are changing they way all businesses operate.

    If you’re over 45 you don’t factor into anyone’s demographic as fas as being considered a customer.

    A small glimmer of light did happen in my area recently....a pretty big oldies radio station used to say they played songs from the 60s-70s and 80s.....they must have decided the people that listened to music from the 60s weren’t worth it so they started announcing they played songs from the 70s and 80s.....basically saying anyone that old didn’t count anymore.

    But after about 6 months....they are playing songs from the 60s again and now they just say they are playing “the classic hits”

    Don’t know what changed their minds but I’m guessing they got complaints and might have lost some money...


    I think the biggest problem has to do with corporate greed......it’s only the bottom line and if I can get my bonus.....


    there are only so many people that ride motorcycles.....there are only so many people drive quads. There are only so many people that drive blue vehicles...


    why do all these businesses assume they aren’t successful if they can’t grow their sales numbers each and every year. Yeah I understand the profit thing.....but selling “X” numbers of units steadily year after year isn’t a bad thing. Selling tens of thousands of vehicles every year sounds like a pretty good business...especially considering it’s a limited driving season in half the country.....and not everyone is going to buy a new one every year.


    it’s not like they are the only game in town. Figure out how many other motorcycle companies there are. Not everyone will ever buy a crotch rocket type bike. Not everyone is going to buy a can am. Not everyone is going to buy a slingshot. It’s a small market....it’s a seasonal market. Sure growing the yearly sales numbers would be a great thing. But holding steady yearly sales isn’t a failure.


    adding the automatic should open up the sales numbers but by how much? If nobody wants to buy a motorcycle it doesn’t matter if it’s automatic or not.


    maybe I’m a bad example but I’m not even considering buying another slingshot in my lifetime. Doesn’t mean I don’t like it. But considering what I paid for a summer play toy, I’m going to make it last.


    sure you can’t do wheelies or split lanes or ride two by two.....I really liked riding two wheelers but for me it’s just becoming too dangerous since millennials figured out they can text and drive “safely” NOT....


    slingshot is a different alternative. If millennials aren’t buying vehicles because they can’t afford it or they just don’t want to drive, all vehicle companies are going to have less sales....same with refrigerator companies......millenials don’t want to own anything but cell phones...


    I would think if I had a company and could run for eight months and fill all my orders and be off 4 months could be a good thing. I remember when you had to go to a car dealer and order a car and wait 6 weeks to get it....by limiting the yearly production numbers they might be able to keep the price higher......here it is...buy it now or walk.


    just as Harley's price keeps people out of their market...slingshots price is going to keep people out of that market.... I’m never going to own a Rolls Royce...but I have 5 vehicles. I’ve had lots of motorcycles but never a Harley...


    quad season is all year long....so if polaris is comparing the slingshot sales to quad sales it’s a failure...

    My other vehicle is a 2003 Subaru Baja (discontinued Baja 15 years ago) with 200,000 miles. Don't really care what Polaris does with the Slingshot, I got my 2015 manual transmission and I am happy, just like with my Baja.

    Quote from Bigdog


    adding the automatic should open up the sales numbers but by how much? If nobody wants to buy a motorcycle it doesn’t matter if it’s automatic or not.

    The recent number I saw was that 80% of the population does not know how to drive a manual, offering a automatic should open up the market to a lot more people, even if only a small percentage of those want a Slingshot, it is still a lot more people to sell to.

    but every motorcycle rider knows how to shift.....so how much of that market are they shooting for?


    a very small percentage of people want motorcycles...


    to me driving a slingshot is no different than driving VW dune buggy.....so how many of those do you remember seeing back in the day? Those were all sticks too..


    it’s still a small market. It’s the small driving season that’s killing them.....I’ve had motorcycles for years and I almost never got to ride it to work because every time it rained it started when I was waiting to punch out. Without fail.....so if it said afternoon rain....it stayed in the garage....it would be nice and sunny the whole time I was at work.....after work or my days off it rained.


    it’s the main reason so many used SS are always for sale....people don’t have quality time to drive them....doesn’t matter if it’s stick or auto...

    I didn’t drive my dune buggy in the rain but I drove it in snow...in the woods...


    quads have heaters and roofs and windshields so they can be driven in the rain and snow....all season vehicle for hard core people.


    if the slingshot came with a heater would that help?

    Quote from Bigdog

    but every motorcycle rider knows how to shift.....so how much of that market are they shooting for?


    a very small percentage of people want motorcycles...


    to me driving a slingshot is no different than driving VW dune buggy.....so how many of those do you remember seeing back in the day? Those were all sticks too..


    it’s still a small market. It’s the small driving season that’s killing them.....I’ve had motorcycles for years and I almost never got to ride it to work because every time it rained it started when I was waiting to punch out. Without fail.....so if it said afternoon rain....it stayed in the garage....it would be nice and sunny the whole time I was at work.....after work or my days off it rained.


    it’s the main reason so many used SS are always for sale....people don’t have quality time to drive them....doesn’t matter if it’s stick or auto...

    I don't think that Polaris is only looking at current motorcycle riders as their only demographic for new owners of the Slingshot.


    Also, things have changed a lot since back in the day when VW dune buggy's were driving around. Back then a higher percentage of the public could drive a manual transmission then today.


    The market is small for the Polaris Slingshot, no doubt about that, but that small market gets tiny with only a manual transmission as an option that 80% of the public can not drive.

    Quote from Bigdog

    I didn’t drive my dune buggy in the rain but I drove it in snow...in the woods...


    quads have heaters and roofs and windshields so they can be driven in the rain and snow....all season vehicle for hard core people.


    if the slingshot came with a heater would that help?

    Yes.....Maybe not in Dec'Jan'Feb............But Out here in the northeast for 9 months yes it would help...

    Polaris has heaters for their Side -By's........I ride all winter but thats just me i don't mind the cold, Cause i don't have a mind....Or so everyone who sees me riding in sub 25 degree temps says i must be out of my mind..:/.....The Polaris dealer near gave up the Slingshot franchise cause he couldn't sell any in the winter.....No one would even take one out for a test ride....

    Some times a Cigar is just a Cigar.......

    My local dealer sells both slingshots and vanderhalls. The sales girl was talking to me about the heaters in the vanderhalls a few weeks ago when I had mine in for the recall (it was in the low 40s and kind of damp that day so I was bundled up a bit). If vanderhall was able to squeeze a heater in there as tight as they have things in that engine compartment you would think that Polaris would be able to find a place to put one in. Polaris added a vent that apparently works, but missed on capitalizing on adding a bit of heat to help market to those that will want the automatic transmission. Most of us that come from bikes are used to dealing with cold and either dress for it or buy heated gear to wear, but they probably missed an opportunity to add something for that new market of owners they want to attract with the auto transmission.

    FB - North Alabama Polaris Slingshot Owners - (Huntsville)

    Quote from Will Stewart

    My local dealer sells both slingshots and vanderhalls. The sales girl was talking to me about the heaters in the vanderhalls a few weeks ago when I had mine in for the recall (it was in the low 40s and kind of damp that day so I was bundled up a bit). If vanderhall was able to squeeze a heater in there as tight as they have things in that engine compartment you would think that Polaris would be able to find a place to put one in. Polaris added a vent that apparently works, but missed on capitalizing on adding a bit of heat to help market to those that will want the automatic transmission. Most of us that come from bikes are used to dealing with cold and either dress for it or buy heated gear to wear, but they probably missed an opportunity to add something for that new market of owners they want to attract with the auto transmission.

    It would be easy enough to do with some of the Hot Rod Heat and Air kits if that was your thing.

    Quote from Dave@DDMWorks

    The recent number I saw was that 80% of the population does not know how to drive a manual, offering a automatic should open up the market to a lot more people, even if only a small percentage of those want a Slingshot, it is still a lot more people to sell to.

    so I guess that makes a standard transmission the best antitheft device out there☺️

    We’ll get there when we get there and not a minute before. 😎