Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Text Block [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Polaris Industries Inc. ("Polaris" or the "Company") have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial statements and, therefore, do not include all information and disclosures of results of operations, financial position and changes in cash flow in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. Accordingly, such statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the opinion of management, such statements reflect all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. Due to the seasonality of snowmobiles; Off-Road Vehicles (ORV), which include all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and side-by-side vehicles; On-Road Vehicles, which is comprised of motorcycles and Small Vehicles (SV); and Parts, Garments and Accessories (PG&A) businesses, and to certain changes in production and shipping cycles, results of such periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the complete year.

New Accounting Pronouncements

New Accounting Pronouncements

There are no new accounting pronouncements that are expected to have a significant impact on Polaris' consolidated financial statements.

Product Warranties

Product warranties

Polaris provides a limited warranty for its ORVs for a period of six months and for a period of one year for its snowmobiles and motorcycles and a two year period for SVs. Polaris provides longer warranties in certain geographical markets as determined by local regulations and market conditions and may also provide longer warranties related to certain promotional programs. Polaris’ standard warranties require the Company or its dealers to repair or replace defective products during such warranty periods at no cost to the consumer. The warranty reserve is established at the time of sale to the dealer or distributor based on management’s best estimate using historical rates and trends. Adjustments to the warranty reserve are made from time to time as actual claims become known in order to properly estimate the amounts necessary to settle future and existing claims on products sold as of the balance sheet date. Factors that could have an impact on the warranty accrual in any given period include the following: improved manufacturing quality, shifts in product mix, changes in warranty coverage periods, snowfall and its impact on snowmobile usage, product recalls, and any significant changes in sales volume.