In the auto world, they put on shows to display exciting new models a year or two ahead. Sometimes concept vehicles displayed show what might be in store 5 to 10 yrs from now to keep the juices flowing.
Seems to be a successful model to get and keep new buyers excited and current owners planning, yet, with sleds we start our own rumours usually.
Why the secrets? Always made me wonder.
In this day and age, no info from an OEM isn't to protect innovation or ideas. Patents take care of that and are public info. An OEM just needs to hire a couple of North Koreans to know a few years ahead what a competitor is planning or testing.
I wonder if they just get together once a year and divvy up the carrots they wish to offer. Saves on advertising costs and saves on wasted R and D costs.
From a buyers point of view, the old snow check spring show intros used with sleds, seems to focus on "spur of the moment" purchase. See 'em, think about it a bit and read all the mag reviews lol and plunk down a deposit in the next 4 weeks or the deal is gone lol.
I've done that plenty of times. Felt stupid sometimes too lol but, you know, the passion thing.
Easy to deposit 500 bucks and save during the summer to pay it off. Sometimes I've been totally satisfied with what came out of the crate, sometimes I've been a bit disappointed but there's always next year.
With those past experiences and the prices getting up to the price of a small car, the current intro model used by sled OEM's does nothing for me anymore. I take the wait and see approach now.
I'd like to see a different way to intro new models just so I don't feel like a donkey. I think purchasers in general today spend much more time trying to know as much as they can about their cash outlay. The model is out there to follow if the sled OEM's want to give us the opportunity to be totally informed and satisfied customers.
From reading plenty of rumour threads in the past, my prediction. If we start and continue the rumours to the intro day, it's a BNG year.
If the OEM starts the rumours, leak a few pics, spend some money on blacked out vids and actually get a demo tour going, there is something to get excited about.