Arctic Cat Now Owns An Amphibious UTV Company

I don't remember when I first saw an ARGO XTV, but I know I couldn't forget the shape of it. Eight wheels, a bathtub of a cockpit, a brush bar, and the ability to just go...anywhere. It's one of those vehicles that is just cool no matter where you place it. And that's solid, as the ARGO XTV is billed as a go-anywhere vehicle, and I do mean anywhere, cause the dang thing is amphibious.

Since that first encounter, I've seen it out in the wild while hunting, on countless hunting videos in the deep backwoods of Alaska, in muddy locales, and more. It's something that'll move like a tortoise, but as we all now know, the tortoise always gets to the finish line. And that finish line is even easier to see now, thanks to the revived folks over at Arctic Cat.

See, although the company nearly went kaput under the weight of Textron Inc.—the defense contractor—since its emancipation from the defense giant, it's seen its tide rise to wild levels, putting out new vehicles, saving old ones, winning races, and now bringing ARGO into the Arctic Cat family.

Who wants to go moose hunting in an ARGO with me?

Go Anywhere

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"Arctic Cat is ready and excited to welcome the ARGO XTV lineup of amphibious vehicles to the family,"
said Brad Darling, President and CEO of Arctic Cat. He added, "This unique line of off-road products complements
Arctic Cat’s strong lineup of snowmobiles, ATVs and side-by-sides, while expanding the solutions we can
offer to dealers and customers who rely on capable vehicles for work, recreation and adventure."

According to the release, ARGOs will continue to be manufactured in Canada. However, Arctic Cat now plans to add additional manufacturing capabilities to its Thief River Falls, Minnesota, plant for the U.S. market, which it says is "growing" and necessary to meet demand. That all starts later this year. Canada's plant will also be the primary manufacturing hub for the company's international markets, as well as its unmanned military contracts for the XTVs.

Interestingly, ARGO's service parts portion of the business will also come to the U.S., but will be handled out of Arctic Cat's Bucyrus, Ohio, distribution center. 

All in all, the acquisition by Arctic Cat points to a brand on the up and up, and making the sort of plays that should, theoretically, pay off in the long run, as Arctic Cat begins to serve a host of niche industries that can't be served elsewhere. Plus, ARGOs themselves are cool as hell, and I desperately need to drive one someday soon.

Let me go into a swamp with one, Arctic Cat!

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