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Cypress-based Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., isn’t complaining about business in the wake of Sept. 11.
U.S. Sales for the year ending March 31 could come in flat to slightly higher than the prior year’s $2.5 billion, according to president Shohei Kato. Not bad, comparatively speaking.
“I do not know why, but motorcycles and ATVs still are doing fine in spite of the economic downturn,” Kato said.
Yamaha Motor U.S.A., part of Japan’s Yamaha Motor Co., imports and sells motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, Wave-Runner water vehicles, leisure and fishing boats, snowmobiles and golf carts. It counts more than 2,500 U.S. distributors.
The company’s most affected products are golf carts, according to Kato. People aren’t traveling to golf resorts as much since the terrorist attacks, he said. As a result, golf courses are putting off orders for new carts.
Sales of some luxury items,such as jet skies and boats selling for $20,000 to $100,000,also could taper off, Kato said.
But motorcycles and off-road vehicles could be up as much as 10% this year, Kato predicted.
“American people probably now consider motorcycle riding to be a healthy-sport activity,” he said.
Yamaha Motor Japan operates globally with local input on product development, according to Kato. Just about all of the golf carts and water vehicles sold here the U.S. are made here, he said. Yamaha Motor has two U.S. plants in Georgia and Missouri.
“Production close to the market yields better fruits,” Kato said.
The company’s larger motorcycles are made in Japan, though 50% of sales are in the U.S., Kato said.
In Cypress, Yamaha Motor workers handle administration, sales, marketing and product planning. Workers in Georgia design and make ATVs, golf carts, jet skis
Yamaha Motor is big on races. Last year, the company’s sponsored team won 15 of 16 Supercross matches and claimed two major championships (it lost this year’s title to rival Kawasaki Motor Corp.’s team). Having riders such as Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath under the Yamaha banner helps tout the company’s products, according to Nicky Mizuta, Yamaha’s assistant treasurer.
Yamaha Motor moved to Cypress after its Japanese parent spun off from Yamaha Corp. in 1977. Some 300 people work at Yamaha Motor’s 275,000-square-foot Orange County facility. Although separately run, Yamaha Corp. owns about 30% of Yamaha Motor Japan’s stock.
At Yamaha’s Cypress office, Japanese dolls and a samurai helmet are juxtaposed with motorcycles and fishing poles. The site has more than its share of Yamaha motorcycles in the parking lot,employees can buy bikes at cost.
Of the hundreds of original employees who moved with Yamaha Motor to Cypress, about 50 still are with the company, according to human resources officials. The average time of service is 12 years, Kato said. Some workers joined the company because they were fans of Yamaha’s outdoor products.
“Overall, employees are proud of the Yamaha brand,” Kato said.
Yamaha Motor Co. in Japan is the second-largest motorcycle maker behind Honda Motor Co. The company said it accounts for more than half of all motorcycles sold around the world.
Other rivals include Kawasaki, which has its U.S. headquarters in Irvine, Suzuki Motor Corp., which has U.S. operations in Brea, and Harley-Davidson Inc. n
