Significant Accounting Policies

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, 2015 previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). 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; motorcycles; Global Adjacent Markets vehicles; and related Parts, Garments and Accessories (PG&A), 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.

Fair value measurements. Fair value is the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified using the following hierarchy, which is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation as of the measurement date:

Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

In making fair value measurements, observable market data must be used when available. When inputs used to measure fair value fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the level within which the fair value measurement is categorized is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company utilizes the market approach to measure fair value for its non-qualified deferred compensation assets and liabilities, and the income approach for foreign currency contracts and commodity contracts. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities, and for the income approach the Company uses significant other observable inputs to value its derivative instruments used to hedge foreign currency and commodity transactions.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below (in thousands):



	Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2016
Asset (Liability)	Total			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
Non-qualified deferred compensation assets	$	49,806		$	49,806		—			—
Total assets at fair value	$	49,806		$	49,806		—			—
Foreign exchange contracts, net	$	(8,682	)	—			$	(8,682	)	—
Non-qualified deferred compensation liabilities	(49,806		)	$	(49,806	)	—			—
Total liabilities at fair value	$	(58,488	)	$	(49,806	)	$	(8,682	)	—
	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2015
Asset (Liability)	Total			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
Non-qualified deferred compensation assets	$	48,238		$	48,238		—			—
Foreign exchange contracts, net	2,767			—			$	2,767		—
Interest rate swap contracts	186			—			186			—
Total assets at fair value	$	51,191		$	48,238		2,953			—
Commodity contracts, net	$	(354	)	—			$	(354	)	—
Non-qualified deferred compensation liabilities	(48,238		)	$	(48,238	)	—			—
Total liabilities at fair value	$	(48,592	)	$	(48,238	)	$	(354	)	—

Fair value of other financial instruments. The carrying values of the Company’s short-term financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables and short-term debt, including current maturities of long-term debt, capital lease obligations and notes payable, approximate their fair values. At March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the fair value of the Company’s long-term debt was approximately $555.1 million and $477.9 million, respectively, and was determined using Level 2 inputs, including quoted market prices or discounted cash flows based on quoted market rates for similar types of debt. The carrying value of long-term debt, including current maturities, was $532.4 million and $461.5 million as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

Inventories. Inventory costs include material, labor and manufacturing overhead costs, including depreciation expense associated with the manufacture and distribution of the Company’s products. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or market. The major components of inventories are as follows (in thousands):



	March 31, 2016			December 31, 2015
Raw materials and purchased components	$	170,942		$	167,569
Service parts, garments and accessories	192,903			189,731
Finished goods	387,527			388,970
Less: reserves	(41,368		)	(36,269		)
Inventories	$	710,004		$	710,001

Product warranties. Polaris provides a limited warranty for its ORVs for a period of six months, for a period of one year for its snowmobiles, for a period of one or two years for its motorcycles depending on brand and model year, for a period of one year for its Taylor-Dunn vehicles and for a two year period for its GEM, Goupil and Aixam vehicles. 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. The activity in the warranty reserve during the periods presented was as follows (in thousands):



	Three months ended March 31,
	2016			2015
Balance at beginning of period	$	56,474		$	53,104
Additions to warranty reserve through acquisitions	105			50
Additions charged to expense	29,173			13,919
Warranty claims paid	(18,545		)	(18,439		)
Balance at end of period	$	67,207		$	48,634

New accounting pronouncements.

Debt issuance costs. In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-230) - Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The amendment requires that debt issuance costs be presented on the balance sheet as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability rather than as an asset. The amendment is to be applied retrospectively and is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company adopted this amendment during the first quarter of 2016, which caused the Company to reclassify $1.8 million of debt issuance costs as a reduction from Long-term debt rather than as a component of Prepaid expenses and other assets, as of December 31, 2015.

Share-based payment accounting. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, statutory tax withholding requirements, and statement of cash flow classification. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and is effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of this new standard on the financial statements.

Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This ASU requires most lessees to recognize right of use assets and lease liabilities, but recognize expenses in a manner similar with current accounting standards. The new standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and is effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2019. Entities are required to use a modified retrospective approach, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of this new standard on the financial statements.

Revenue from contracts with customers. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This ASU is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The new standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and is effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. The Company is evaluating the application method and the impact of this new standard on the financial statements.

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