Arctic Cat's 2008 ATV Model Year
Dealer Show
New ATV Models: DVX90, 366 4x4, 500
TRV, 700 H1 EFI, ThunderCat 1000 H2, Prowler 700 XTX
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Cat Dealer Show Links |
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Arctic
Cat entered the ATV Market in 1995 with the release
of the Bearcat 454, which was the largest displacement
ATV at the time |
Las Vegas, NV (8/4/2007) - Arctic Cat
recently held their 2008 ATV model year dealer show in
Las Vegas, NV, and the media was invited out as well to
see first hand how serious Arctic Cat is about the future
of their ATV product line. They started out the evening
with a quick overview of Arctic Cat’s evolution
in the ATV market.
In 1995 Arctic Cat jumped into the ATV market with
the largest displacement ATV ever at the time with the
Bearcat 454, which led to a new wave big bore utility
ATVs. Over the past decade, Utility ATVs have evolved
dramatically and have become larger and sportier than
ever as they are utilized as much for work as for play
today. The new era of Sport Utility ATVs would classify
the Bearcat 454 as an entry level machine with every
manufacturer producing ATVs over 650cc, so Arctic Cat
has evolved its product line over the years to meet
its customer’s demands with larger displacement
and sportier utility ATV models.
Until 2006, Arctic Cat depended on its relationship
with Suzuki for new utility ATV engines, but they have
since begun developing their own engines in house. In
2006, Arctic Cat released its 650 H1 engine, which was
developed and built completely in the Thief River Falls,
MN plant, which started a new era for Arctic Cat.
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Arctic Cat's Engine
Manufacturer Plant near St. Cloud, MN, which
is one of the most state of the art engine manufacturer
plants in the world (Photos By:
Arctic Cats RIDE magazine)
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In 2007, Artic Cat expanded it engine production and
moved the facility to a brand new 61,000 sq ft building
near St. Cloud, MN, which is one of the most state of
the art engine manufacturer plants in the world with
a staff of 60 engine builders. With their plant up and
running, Arctic Cat plans on expanding the in house
production of engines for its ATV product line.
For 2008, Arctic Cat was ecstatic to announce the release
of their all new 700 H1 EFI Sport Utility ATV along
with their all-new industry first ThunderCat 1000 H2
with the largest displacement engine ever in a Utility
ATV. The fire breathing 950cc powerplant was designed
and built entirely at Arctic Cat’s all-new engine
manufacturing plant outside St. Cloud, MN.
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| ThunderCat
1000 |
700
H1 EFI |
Arctic Cat also realized that a new state of the art
engines was only a one part of producing top quality
utility ATVs because what good is a powerful fuel injected
engine without a top notch ATV chassis to harness the
power, so Artic Cat also went back to the drawing board
on their overall ATV design and utilized racing their
ATVs in the WPSA ATV Tour to expedite the development
cycle of finding out what works and doesn’t in
some of the most extreme conditions. Amazingly, Arctic
Cat’s engineering motivated team was able to capture
the first ever WPSA Quadterrain Challenge Championship
in 2006 with Daryl Rath piloting the 650 H1 to victory.
Arctic Cat not only earned a championship, but they
also learned the how to make the 650 H1 ATV even better,
so the new and improved 700 H1 EFI received plenty of
updates developed from Arctic Cat’s race track
testing. The ThunderCat 1000 H2 design has also benefited
from Arctic Cat’s racing experience, and they
plan on continuing to utilize the race track to improve
the performance and durability of their Sport Utility
ATVs.
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Arctic Cat's Daryl
Rath earned the 2006 WPSA ATV Tour Championship,
and Arctic Cat's Jesse West, Rory Beckman, and
Daryl Rath are within striking distance of securing
yet another Quadterrain Challenge Championship
in 2007
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