Yamaha Motor Corp. (TSE: 7272 JP) will be ending direct sales of its NAVISeries units by the end of 2025.
In response to a Mobility Management question about Yamaha’s future distribution plans in the United States, Rob Trester, division manager of Yamaha’s smart power vehicle division, said, “Yamaha has made the decision to focus exclusively on our business-to-business (B2B) opportunities and discontinue direct NAVI Series unit sales by the end of this calendar year. Going forward, our parent company, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. in Japan, will support this business model exclusively by working directly with B2B customers.”
The NAVISeries includes the NAVIGO joystick power system, which turns a manual wheelchair into a power chair operated by a joystick; and the NAVIONE in-hub power-assist system.
“We are committed to our dealers and customers and will offer parts support for up to eight years after the end of sales,” Trester added. “In addition, we will provide warranty service in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions.”
Yamaha introduced the NAVIONE power-assist system to the American market in 2018. The manufacturer introduced NAVIGO to the United States in 2019. Yamaha is also the long-time manufacturer of the in-hub power-assist units that Sunrise Medical offers under the QUICKIE Xtender brand name. Trester indicated that Yamaha will continue to manufacture Xtender systems.
Yamaha’s NAVISeries division is based in Cypress, California.
