Sherbrooke, Quebec
- BRP will assemble specialized motorised vehicles derived from its line of
products in a new plant located in Sherbrooke,
Quebec. This facility will concentrate
on assembling customized vehicles to meet the requirements of governments, municipalities,
institutions and agencies, as well as individual consumers.
"This decision allows us to first assemble
gasoline-powered vehicles with specific requirements from our existing products
for which we already have orders from the Middle East," José Boisjoli,
president and CEO, said. ''We will also make the most of the technologies
developed at the Centre de technologies avancées BRP-University de Sherbrooke
(CTA) and produce zero emission electric vehicles."
One of the specialized products being assembled at this new
facility, the prototype of the Can-Am Commander electric side-by-side vehicle,
was introduced in Montréal last summer during Club BRP. In light of the
reaction from dealers, distributors and the media from around the world, BRP is
going ahead with marketing and selling the Can-Am Commander electric side-by-side
vehicle.
"We will be using the same marketing and distribution
strategy that we used for our Can-Am Spyder roadster," Mihai Rasidescu,
vice-president, Specialized Vehicles Group, said. "We will recruit from
within our existing dealer network to develop the business and gradually expand
as market demand grows. We will go out in phases and, starting July 1, 2012,
the Can-Am Commander electric side-by-side vehicle will be on sale at some BRP dealers
in Québec, Ontario
and Alberta, and in California,
Florida, Illinois,
New York, Texas
and Virginia."
The first Can-Am Commander electric side-by-side vehicle
goes to Sherbrooke
University, BRP's partner
in the CTA that developed the vehicle's electric technology. The vehicle can reach
a speed of 40 km/h and has a range of between 40 and 160 km, depending on
driving habits, vehicle speed, terrain conditions, weather temperature and battery
type.
The new assembly plant will create 20 new jobs in Sherbrooke and will grow
according to demand.