Rental operators choose Yamaha due to unique combination of fun, low maintenance, durability, class leading fuel efficiency and reliability

Kennesaw, GA – April 7, 2009 –Yamaha Watercraft Group, a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, today announced that Yamaha WaveRunner® personal watercraft were the top brand of personal watercraft purchased by rental operators/commercial enterprises in 2008, according to state registration data and analysis by Info-Link®. 

According to the recently published data from Info-Link for the full year 2008, Yamaha had 57% share of the commercial personal watercraft market, more than twice that of the nearest competitive brand.  Yamaha has held top market share among commercial sales since Info-Link began tracking the data in 1998.

“With registration data now finalized for the full year of 2008, we were able to look at U.S. commercial PWC sales by brand and by state to see how the manufacturers fared this last year,” said Jesse Wells, director of sales and marketing at Info-Link.  “Yamaha once again led the pack, and in all-important states such as Florida, which is the clear leader in commercial sales, Yamaha held 80% share of the commercial market.”

Yamaha’s VX Series, which starts at MSRP* $7699, continues to be the unit of choice for rental operators due to its class leading fuel efficiency, renowned reputation for reliability and widespread consumer appeal.

“The factors that are important to rental operators are price, low maintenance, reliability, cost of operation, and of course, the product has to be fun to operate.  In addition, these rental units must be durable for the demanding salt water environment where many rental operations are based. All of these factors have a direct impact on rental businesses’ bottom line,” said Scott Watkins, product manager for Yamaha’s Watercraft Group. “Our products were built to lead in these areas because we know they are not only important to rental operators, but they are important to all of our customers.”

The Yamaha VX Series has been the best selling personal watercraft in the industry for the last four years since it was introduced.