Textron sells Arctic Cat to Argo

Former Arctic Cat VP and current Argo president Brad Darling, plus an investment group that owns a lot of the privately held Argo/Ontario Gear & Drive corporations, has purchased Arctic Cat from the Textron Industrial group, as reported by our coworkers at SnowGoer. 

In its quarterly financial statement, released on April 24, Textron said, under the heading of Divestiture, “Within the Industrial segment, we have completed the previously announced strategic review of the Powersports product line. On April 23, 2025, we closed on the sale of the Powersports business, including the Arctic Cat brand and its operations.”

The Textron Industrial segment also includes Jacobsen turf-maintenance equipment, E-Z-Go vehicles, Cushman utility vehicles, Textron GSE industrial vehicles, and Kautex manufacturing and packaging equipment. These brands remain in the Textron family. 

Terms of the Arctic Cat purchase by this group from Textron have yet to be disclosed. In its own news release, Argo stated,  

“We seek to continue Arctic Cat’s investment in its brand, products, people and dealers, extending its positive momentum. As a permanent fixture of Thief River Falls, Minn. for over 63 years, this iconic brand has benefitted from the passion of not only the employees but also the entire community. We are now able to wipe away any uncertainty and are looking ahead with great excitement,” continued Darling.

Darling will continue to lead both companies into the future while leaning on potential synergies shared within the offroad segment. While each brand will be owned and operated separately, the brand alignment of ARGO alongside Arctic Cat is a perfect match as Arctic Cat’s line of machines bring the passion on and off the trail, while the ARGO adventure starts where the trail ends.