This last year had its fair share of predictable announcements like the RZR Pro R reveal. It had some surprising bad news, too, like Oceano Dunes closing. 2022 promises to bring all new surprises and announcements that are sure to shake things up.
What exactly those surprises will be is anyone’s guess…
…including ours! Here are our top 6 predictions for what’s to come for the UTV industry in the year of our Lord 2022.
Likelihood: 9/10
We’re all but certain Kawasaki will announce (and maybe release?) a four-seater KRX in 2022. That one’s a no-brainer, and four-seaters are almost always the top-selling model. This is backed up by the fact that Kawasaki has been sending out surveys to gauge interest in four-seater and, notably, turbo models.
It’s the turbo models that we’re really not too sure about. A turbo Kawasaki KRX would be a very welcome addition to their lineup—the KRX is awesome and a turbo would make it a huge contender in the industry. But we know it’d take several redesigns to get working properly. On the other hand, Kawasaki has a deep bench of turbo tech thanks to their motorcycle business.
Are we gonna see a turbo KRX in 2022? We don’t thinks so, but we sure hope so.
Likelihood: 6/10
We think the supply chain pain will continue through 2022. That part of this prediction is a solid 10/10—you can count on it. What we’re hoping happens is that as companies adapt and certain measures are taken, supply chain woes can be mitigated and UTV availability will start to even out by the end of the year.
At SuperATV, we’ve managed to keep our stock healthy. Granted, we’re not building whole vehicles, but at least we know the bad supply can be managed to some extent.
Likelihood: 9/10
Speed UTV appears to be close to crossing the finish line. They’ve started production, but our experience in manufacturing tells us that being in production is not always a sure thing.
Robby Gordan and Speed UTV have had the huge challenge of introducing their groundbreaking UTV mere weeks before the country-wide lockdown threw a wrench into everyone’s plans. Not to mention, they’re developing race-ready two-seaters and four-seaters that are unlike anything else in the UTV industry. All this during and in spite of the aforementioned supply chain headaches.
Now, nearly two years later, we think they’ll get it done.
Likelihood: 7/10
This is an easy one. 2021 was a mixed bag for UTV restrictions. Some places, like North Carolina, made UTVs street legal and made it easy to get registered. Other places like Moab and Oceano Dunes added restrictions to UTVs.
We’re guessing this pattern will continue as certain places mitigate UTV use while others try to encourage it. Expect to see the UTV industry flourish in some areas while it slows in others.
Likelihood: 2/10
The Polaris RZR Pro R has the potential to shake up the industry like never before. In case you somehow aren’t aware, the Pro R is rocking a two-liter engine. That’s 2,000 cc. That’s the most of any UTV, and it’s so big that it literally redefines what a UTV is.
We’re more than confident that Can-Am will release an X3 (or maybe something new) that will directly compete with or surpass the Pro R. Will it come in 2022? Probably not.
Can-Am just reinvented their 2022 lineup to offer some of the best price-to-performance ratios on the market, so they’re probably not in a big hurry to reinvent it again. And a big new design on par with the Pro R takes years of development. Plus, if Can-Am was very far along in their development, we’d have seen some sneaky snapshots and rumors would be flying by now.
Expect news in 2023 or 2024 for Can-Am’s big new X3.
Likelihood: 0/10
Yeah, this won’t happen. We’re just stretching our imagination a little here. But that’s not to say that some random company won’t announce a UTV.
Segway revealed their lineup years ago, Lexus took a stab at a UTV concept, and companies like Tesla are apparently dabbling in off-road vehicles. Remember the ATV that goes with their Cybertruck?
The industry is growing fast, and that means more executives are looking at cost/benefit charts and deciding if they should my their way into the UTV industry.
Make no mistake—established automotive brands probably have UTV concepts in research and development right now. Will any of those see the light of day in 2022? Don’t hold your breath.
As is always the case, the most exciting things are the things we can’t predict at all—the unknown unknowns as it were. Will we hear more about electric UTVs? Will Artic Cat release the best UTV in decades and take over the industry?
Let us know what you think’s coming in the comments!
