Yamaha announced this week that it will stop building side-by-sides in the U.S. after the 2026 model year. The company said its future side-by-sides will be built by a third party and will be utility and recreation focused. In other words, if you want a Yamaha UTV built by Yamaha in the United States, head down to the powesports dealer sooner than later.

We're never excited to hear that a manufacturer is shutting down production, but this one is literally close to home, as Newnan is just down the road from our Knoxville, TN headquarters. Yamaha will still build ATVs and personal watercraft in Newnan, so the factory isn't going anywhere. No word yet on who will build Yamaha UTVs after 2026.

The shutdown was announced concurrent with Yamaha reporting that it had record-breaking earnings in Q1. The move away from side-by-sides is more about focusing effort on more profitable parts of the business, according to a news release.

It's a bummer, but we weren't entirely surprised by the news. Yamaha hasn't updated its lineup as quickly or prolifically as its competitors since it debuted the RMAX for the 2021 model year.

In the past five years, we've seen the introduction of the Can-Am Maverick R, the Can-Am Defender HD11, the Polaris Xpedition, the Polaris Ranger XD1500, the Polaris RZR Pro R, the RZR Pro R Boost, two- and four-seat versions of the Kawasaki H2, and the Kawasaki Ridge.

In the same period, Yamaha added a second row of seats and a bed to the RMAX 1000, renamed the Wolverine X2 850, and killed the YXZ1000R, its first and only sport side-by-side.

We loved the RMAX when it debuted, and Yamaha's incremental updates over the years just made it better and better. With the brand reiterating its dedication to the recreation and utility markets, we hope that means the RMAX lineup will survive the change.