OREANDA-NEWS. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.and Yanmar Co., Ltd. today announced that they have agreed to a business alliance for the U.S. ROV (Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle) business. The companies will conclude a contract by the end of the year for the OEM supply of Yamaha’s multi-purpose VIKING and VIKING VI (both Yamaha model names) ROV models to Yanmar from December 2016, and for Yanmar to sell these products under the Yanmar brand name from January 2017 utilizing its farmer-oriented dealer network in the U.S.

The aim of this business alliance is to expand sales in the growing U.S. ROV market by leveraging the strengths of the two companies, namely Yamaha’s technical capabilities and manufacturing know-how, and Yanmar’s farmer-oriented dealer network in the U.S.

The two companies share the same values of creating and developing markets through Monozukuri (engineering, manufacturing and marketing), and have previously worked together in the fields of industrial-use unmanned helicopters, generators, and snow blowers.

The demand for ROVs in the U.S. market has been increasing in recent years, and they are used for a variety of applications, from practical work such as agriculture and dairy farming, to leisure-oriented purposes. To meet the needs of this market, in 2013 Yamaha launched the VIKING, a 3-seater multi-purpose model which provides practicality, easy handling, and comfort, and in 2014 launched the VIKING VI, a 6-seater model which delivers high-grade driving performance and comfort for a large number of passengers. Yanmar has for many years supplied just diesel engines and drive units to the U.S. agricultural transportation vehicle (including ROVs) market. Through this business alliance, Yanmar is taking the next step towards entering the ROV product sales field.

The two ROV models to be supplied on an OEM basis from Yamaha to Yanmar feature an exterior design refreshed to Yanmar specifications through new coloring and graphics, and will be sold under the Yanmar brand and model name as new gasoline engine-powered products. Manufacturing will be carried out in the state of Georgia by Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America.