Yamaha Motor celebrates 50 years of making golf cars
Yamaha Motor has been largely associated with motorcycles, snowmobiles and PWCs, but for the last 50 years, it has also been a major player in golf car production, having sold more than one million units.
In June 1975, Yamaha Motor developed and launched its first golf car – the YG292, and effectively kickstarted the company’s golf car business.
In developing its golf cars, Yamaha used its 5-port, air-cooled, 2-stroke 292cc engine from its snowmobiles, the base chassis-engine package from developing the Land Car, and designing the fiber-reinforced plastic bodywork leveraging expertise from building boat hulls and swimming pools.
Just as much as Yamaha’s golf car benefited from using prior, the golf car itself has influenced other Yamaha products throughout its 50-year history. For instance, golf cars were among the earliest Yamaha mobility products it began working to electrify.
Additionally, golf cars made significant contributions to Yamaha’s experience with automated driving technology, such as its vehicles that are being used for running Japan’s first Level 4 automated driving service.
After 50 years in the game, the golf car business continues to grow, Yamaha says. In addition to the mainstay North American and Japanese markets, Yamaha golf cars are now being introduced to Europe, Australia, and various countries in Asia, and are currently manufactured in Japan and the U.S.
