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Investment in Other Affiliates
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Investment in Other Affiliates

Note 9. Investment in Other Affiliates

The caption Investment in other affiliates in the consolidated balance sheets represents the Company’s investment in nonmarketable securities of strategic companies.

During 2011 the Company had a 40 percent equity ownership in Robin Manufacturing, U.S.A. (“Robin”), which assembled engines in the United States for recreational and industrial products. The Robin operations were closed during 2011 as the production volumes of engines made by Robin had declined significantly in recent years. Polaris received the return of its remaining equity investment in Robin during the fourth quarter 2011 as Robin was liquidated.

 

Investment in other affiliates as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 is comprised of the following (in thousands):

 

     As of December 31,  
     2012      2011  

Investment in Brammo, Inc.

   $ 12,000       $ 5,000   

Investment in Eicher-Polaris Private Limited

     817         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investment in other affiliates

   $ 12,817       $ 5,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

A $5,000,000 investment was made in October 2011 in Brammo, Inc., a privately held manufacturer of electric motorcycles, and an additional $7,000,000 investment was made in July 2012. The investment in Brammo, Inc. is accounted for under the cost method.

In July 2012, Polaris announced a joint venture agreement with Eicher Motors Limited (Eicher), a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles and motorcycles in India. Polaris and Eicher will each control 50 percent of the joint venture, Eicher-Polaris Private Limited (EPPL), which is intended to design, develop and manufacture a full range of new vehicles for India and other emerging markets. The investment in EPPL is accounted for under the equity method, with Polaris’ proportionate share of income or loss recorded within the consolidated financial statements on a one month lag due to financial information not being available timely. The overall investment is expected to be approximately $50,000,000, shared equally with Eicher over a three year period. An initial investment of $999,000 was made by Polaris in November 2012. Polaris’ share of EPPL loss for the period ended December 31, 2012 was $179,000.