For several years, the Canadian brand lay dormant, simply giving way to its successful snow and water sports divisions, the Can-Am marque was basically dead.
With its long and storied history, this was a shame. Although the other names previously associated with Bombardier went from strength to strength under BRP, Can-Am simply sat in the shadows, until they did something rather unexpected.
Launching an ATV under the BRP banner effectively gave the old brand a new avenue. What was once seemingly destined for the history books, found new life in a new sector. The off-road leisure market was booming in the 2000s and Can-Am were back with a bang.
10 First Snowmobile
Spurred on by the death of his young son, Joseph-Armand Bombardier invented the first real snowmobile.
Effectively a half-track for the snow, his invention was a huge success. Although it came three years too late to save his son – who could have been spared if he had access to a vehicle like this to rush him to hospital – it did save countless others stuck in Canada’s unforgiving winter snowstorms.
9 Bombardier Founded In 1942
By 1942, the invention had turned into a full-blown company that supplied half-track vehicles to Canada’s army.
On the back of their new-found success developing snow vehicles like the B12, they would look into developing something for the growing leisure market by the '50s.
8 Ski Dog
Initially slated as the Ski Dog, in line with the most popular personal transportation on snow back then, the snowmobile as we know it was born in 1959.
Ski Dog became Ski Doo, thanks largely to a marketing blunder, and effectively one of the most iconic typos in history. Ski Doo has since become something of an institution, as they dominate snowmobile sales to this day.
7 First Powerful Water Scooters
Water, or aquatic scooters were more dangerous than fun when they were first getting introduced to the market. They were also painfully slow, well, when they weren’t busy trying to maim you with their prop.
The Sea Doo landed a few years too early though, and while its technology was revolutionary, they didn't get their marketing or pricing quite right. So, even though they were the first to get to the market, it was Kawasaki (pictured) who reaped the benefits with their “Jet Ski.”
6 Creativity Comes First
In the early years, it was all about innovation. They were the first to engineer several transportation related solutions (including aircraft) and leisure vehicles, and they were proud of it.
They also knew their limitations though, and were happy with sticking to snow for the winter and water for the summer right up until the '60s. That all changed when they acquired a certain famed engine manufacturer.
5 Rotax Acquisition
Buying Rotax was a big, bold corporate leap, and it changed everything for them. This gave them a steady supply of powerful, reliable engines.
It helped them consolidate their snow and watercraft range and gave them an opportunity to venture into another summer market; dirt bikes.
4 Killer Dirt Bikes
Dirt bikes were just starting to become popular all over North America and Can-Am’s first foray into this new world couldn’t have been more successful.
They became a household name almost overnight after winning several class victories in their first years on the market. Unfortunately, their success was short-lived, and after their initial success they went power mad. Their bikes became notorious for being pretty much unrideable and some pro racers even refused to ride their production bikes. Then just like that, by the late '80s, the Can-Am brand went on ice.
3 BRP Consolidation
Bombardier splintered off into the world of planes and trains, while the rest of the company tied to the leisure market became Bombardier Recreational Products, or BRP for short.
BRP launched a line of ATVs in 2006 and those ATVs caught the attention of the world when they all sat atop the podium of the Dakar rally. BRP moved quickly to reinstate the Can-Am brand the following year and suddenly Can-Am was back with a bang.
2 ATV Revolution
In the early 2000s, ATVs got more and more popular, Can-Am were also now making one of the most popular ATVs too, thanks to their superior performance and attractive pricing.
Their success would not have been possible without their history of innovation, Rotax engines, tough lessons in failure, forward-thinking, and opportunistic rebranding.
1 UTV Renaissance
Being a passenger on an ATV is generally more scary than fun. By the 2000s, UTVs were getting more popular, thanks largely to their superior crash protection and passenger seat.
When the Maverick got launched in 2013, it was the most powerful sports UTV, with 100 horsepower. Today, they have gone from strength to strength and are one of the most trusted brands in the industry.