Arctic Cat roared into existence in 1960 when snowmobile legend Edgar Hetteen, after co-founding Polaris and getting restless, started Polar Manufacturing in a garage in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, building the first Arctic Cat snowmobile the next year. Renamed Arctic Enterprises soon after, it grew into a major player before bankruptcy in 1981, only to rebound in 1983 as Arctco (later renamed Arctic Cat in 1996) thanks to Hetteen and investors who kept the legacy alive. The brand expanded into ATVs and side-by-sides in the '90s, became part of Textron Specialized Vehicles after a 2017 acquisition, and now crafts tough snowmobiles, off-road vehicles, and accessories focused on performance, durability, and adventure for trails, work, and play in harsh conditions.
Arctic Cat keeps it anti-woke by zeroing in on raw engineering, cold-weather grit, and powersports fun without rainbow branding, Pride tie-ins, DEI quotas, or social justice campaigns cluttering their site or story—no virtue-signaling detours here. Their parent Textron mentions corporate responsibility in broad reports (mostly practical stuff like safety and efficiency), but nothing flashy or preachy turns up on Arctic Cat's pages. Interestingly, even with recent production pauses and strategic reviews amid industry slumps, the brand's DNA stays rooted in founder Edgar's rebel spirit (he once rode 1,200 miles across Alaska to prove snowmobiles work), proving you can conquer frozen frontiers with innovation and toughness instead of chasing trendy talking points.
