Arctic Cat restarts snowmobile, SxS production at Minnesota facility

Revitalized snowmobile and UTV manufacturer Arctic Cat resumed vehicle production at its Thief River Falls, Minnesota, facility, the company announced in an Aug. 8 press release.

The restart comes just three months after a group of investors, including Arctic Cat Vice President and current Argo President Brad Darling, purchased the company from Textron.

Since the acquisition, Arctic Cat has announced several developments hinting that the company was getting back on track to restart production, since it paused manufacturing at its two Minnesota plants in late 2024.  

In early May, the company released its 2026 snowmobile lineup and, a few weeks later, announced it would restore nearly 500 employees to its workforce. At that time, Arctic Cat also said it planned to ramp up production at both its Thief River Falls facility and its engine plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The company also released an off-road lineup in late July exclusively to dealers.

“Arctic Cat is in the hands of believers. From day one, I knew everyone involved was ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in,” says Darling. “That proof continues to show itself every day. Now, in the past couple of weeks, we have not only released a new off-road lineup, but also hit the start button on the production line.”

Arctic Cat says its first unit to come off the line in July was the side-by-side Wildcat XX. In the first week of August, the company’s snowmobile line started production on the Kitty Cat, its youth model sled.

Arctic Cat’s St. Cloud engine facility is also ramping up for what the company says looks to be a very busy season producing engines for its next-generation machines.

In its press release, Arctic Cat emphasized that the brand is now run by executives who ride the product, and every decision will come “from the trail up, not the boardroom down.”