UTVs gain strength at wholesale: NPA

Side-by-sides as a percentage of all ATVs sold at wholesale have steadily increased over the past five years, according to exclusive data provided to Powersports Business from National Powersport Auctions.

The side-by-side ratio of all ATVs sold at wholesale jumped from 2 percent in 2007 to 20 percent in the second quarter of 2012.

“UTV volumes have been much more stable than general ATV volumes,” NPA chief operating officer Jim Woodruff said.

UTVs have taken an increasingly larger portion of total wholesale ATV sales for seven quarters in a row, dating back to Q4 2010. Prior to a momentary dip in Q4 2011, UTV sales as part of all wholesale ATVs sold had increased for 13 consecutive quarters.

UTV wholesale volumes peaked in 2010, and have decreased slightly since then.

“There was a secondary peak in the second quarter of 2011, due to backlog created by units held over by lenders in the first quarter of 2011,” Woodruff said.

NPA attracted about 90 percent of its UTVs from lenders in 2007. Repossession volumes have dropped to 65 percent in 2012, with dealer consignments making up 35 percent of the mix.

Consignments were less than 10 percent of the source for wholesale UTVs in 2009; today 1 in 3 UTVs at the wholesale level are obtained through consignment.

“When the economy was really rough, dealers learned to lean heavily on pre-owned, so they learned more about pre-owned — liquidating and taking trades that don’t fit their model,” Woodruff said.

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