BRP will eliminate traditional model year designations for Evinrude outboard engines. Beginning in April 2012, model year designations will no longer be used. Instead, the date of manufacture will be referenced on the serial number label, located on each Evinrude outboard engine.

Benefits to model year elimination include:

• Quicker Product Updates – Consumers will not have to wait for a model year transition to receive the latest product developments from Evinrude
• Simplicity – Instead of tracking two model years, one for the boat and one for the engine, Evinrude outboard owners will only have to reference the model year of their boat package
• Improved Inventory Management – Authorized Evinrude dealers and OEM partners will be able to manage their inventory more effectively and ensure the most recent Evinrude outboard models are available to their customers

“BRP remains committed to the award-winning Evinrude E-TEC technology, and the model year elimination is consistent with current standards in the marine industry,” said Steve Laham, vice-president of Sales, Marketing and After-Sales, Evinrude. “By eliminating model year, consumers will be provided with product upgrades earlier without having to wait for the start of a new model year.  Overall, this change will be positive for our customers, dealers and OEM partners worldwide.”

The model year elimination will not affect the warranty of any Evinrude outboard engine, nor will it affect the resale or trade-in value of an outboard engine or boat package. In states that require a manufacturer’s statement of origin (MSO) for titling purposes, Evinrude will supply the appropriate MSO information to its dealer network.