At the same time Polaris was posting its Q4 financials, news broke that it was closing the powertrain plant in Osceola, Wisconsin. A combination of cost-cutting measures — and the sale of Indian — will see a phased end of operations in Osceola beginning this summer and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
Back in October 2025, Polaris announced that Indian Motorcycle would become a standalone company and that it would sell its majority stake to Carolwood LP, a real estate and private equity company. Although Polaris had not filed a layoff notice with the State Department of Workforce Development as of Tuesday afternoon, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported 200 workers will be affected. In a previous press announcement, Polaris noted new standalone Indian Motorcycle company would shift powertrain production to the Spirit Lake, Iowa, plant later this year.
“As a result of this volume moving, we will no longer have the Polaris engine production volume at Osceola needed to maintain operations there,” claims the company. “We recognize the difficulty this change will mean in the lives of employees, and we are committed to supporting them through this transition. We will offer separation benefits and outplacement assistance to impacted employees, as well as support relocation opportunities.”
