San Diego, California based Nuviz is running a kickstarter funds raising programme to launch what it claims will be the world's first heads-up display for motorcycle helmets. It is reported that the 'Ride:HUD' will sync with a smartphone and deliver information on a transparent LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicone) screen attached to the outside of a full-face helmet. www.ridenuviz.com
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Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) has reported sales of CAN $866m for its third quarter (to October 31st 2013), which is up by 18 percent over 2012, driven by increased demand for its 'Side-x-Side' vehicles and snowmobile models. www.brp.com
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El Paso, Texas based aftermarket performance parts maker MSD Performance Group has been bought from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Hot Rod Brands LLC., an affiliate of $1.2bn private equity company Z Capital. Well known in Drag Racing circles, MSD produces performance and fuel injection products under a number of names, including MSD, Racepak, Powerteq, Edge, Superchips and the Vigilante brand of tuning products. www.msdignition.com
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In the last MotoWEEK we reported that Elio Motors of Troy, Michigan, was to produce three-wheeled, two passenger vehicles at a facility at Shreeveport, La. A further announcement has confirmed that the facility is a former GM Assembly and Stamping Plant, at which GM ceased operations in 2012. Elio will rent some 1.5 million square feet, and has acquired all of GM’s existing equipment in a fully operational state. CEP Paul Elio has also confirmed that his company has raised over $7 million in funding and that he is targeting production to begin in 2015. His plans call for more than 90 percent of the vehicle content to be North American, using as many existing and proven parts as possible. www.eliomotors.com
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UK based CNC billet shock absorber manufacturer Nitron Racing Systems has announced further expansion of its North American management team. With a warehouse and service center at the Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, Utah) and business offices at Charlotte, N.C., Technical Director Lenny Albin, who manages assembly, sales and shipping at their Utah facility, is joined by Peter Jones as business manager at Charlotte. Founded in 1998 and still headed up by Guy Evans, the manufacturer says it now has over 200 dealers worldwide and offers top end race-proven fitments for Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Laverda, Suzuki, Triumph, MV Agusta, Yamaha and Bimota models, among others. www.nitron.co.uk
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Polaris industries of Minneapolis, Mn, has announced that it is merging its sales service, corporate marketing and interactive teams and operations into a single unified global customer excellence organisation led by CP of global customer excellence Tim Larson. The change doesn’t affect the company’s Indian or Victory motorcycle sales force. www.polaris.com
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According to the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), PTW exports to the United States fell by -17.64 percent (to 15,063 units) for the month of November, compared to November 2012. This is the fourth consecutive month of decline in exports compared to the equivalent year-ago periods. Yamaha (34.1 percent) and Kawasaki (23.1 percent) were the strongest brands in the United States in November, with Suzuki only exporting 66.2 percent of their November 2012 performance. By contrast, PTW exports worldwide by the ‘Big-Four’ continued the trend of modest growth overall with a slight increase in November 2013 – increasing by 2.3 percent (to 39,343 units).
The Spanish Shiro Helmet brand has announced the appointment of Fulmer Helmets of Memphis, TN, as its US importer. Fulmer sells dealer direct (only) and cites dealer requests for higher price point options as the motive to take on Shiro distribution alongside their own brands. Founded in 1993, Shiro remains a family-owned business and includes MX2 World Motocross and Moto3 among its promotional sponsorships in Europe. www.shirohelmet.com
