(THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN January 6, 2026) – Demonstrating its dedication to outdoor winter motorized recreation, Arctic Cat today announces the asset acquisition of Widescape™ – known for the Widescape WS250 stand-up enduro snowmobiles.
As part of the purchase, Arctic Cat has acquired the Widescape names, intellectual property and existing product inventory from the previous Quebec-based company.
“The Widescape WS250 machine offers a very different winter recreational experience than traditional snowmobiles,” said Brad Darling, Arctic Cat President and CEO.
“It provides riders with a playful experience and the ability to go places no other snowmobile can for $5,999 MSRP.”
Defining A Widescape
First introduced in 2023, the Widescape WS250 is a narrow, single-passenger vehicle designed for over-snow fun. Its proprietary 242cc EFI liquid-cooled 4-stroke engine sends power through a traditional CVT clutching system to a 12- by 105-inch track featuring 1.5-inch lugs. The track wraps around a single-shock rear suspension with 4 inches of travel. Up front, a 12-inch-wide single ski is connected to a dual-strut suspension with 5.5 inches of travel.
Riders typically stand atop the tunnel on non-slip material, and control the vehicle using traditional throttle and brake controls mounted on a raised handlebar. With its aluminum frame, tunnel and handlebar plus composite bodywork, the WS250
has a dry weight of just 200 pounds. This lightweight construction enhances maneuverability and makes the vehicles very responsive to rider inputs.
Additional standard features include electric start, a tether cord and a multi-function digital display screen/gauge.
Brand Commitment
This acquisition is just the latest milestone for Arctic Cat.
In the nine months since the brand was acquired by its new ownership group, Arctic Cat has launched new products in the snowmobile, ATV and Side-by-Side markets; restarted production; introduced and expanded new technologies such as electric power steering (EPS) on two-stroke snowmobiles; re-entered racing in a significant way; and continued to grow its dealer base across North America and beyond.
“Arctic Cat is charging forward into a bold new future and the acquisition of the Widescape brand demonstrates our belief in the long-lasting future of on-snow motorized recreation.” Darling said.
How much is it too rent one of them?
Fantastic, when these first hit the market and after seeing them in person I thought damn these are cool.
Now that it’s a cat its going on the must have list for next season
Chrysler Snow Runner had a grandson? Cool.
Be very interesting if the plan is to slide the Cat 400 single from the Blast’s into this platform!
Regardless , I think the concept is very cool as is and will attract more consumers now that AC has bought them. Curious now if AC takes production south of the border or if it stays in Quebec? I see a 2027 or 2028 Arctic Cat WS-400 Riot in my garage!!
Is this really the kind of thing Cat should be spending its limited cash on after teetering on the brink of going out of business? This is obviously at best a niche market with limited sales potential.
I can think of numerous other things they could be investing in that will make its bread & butter products (snow and dirt) more competitive with its peers and increase its market share.
Hopefully this pans out but I’m not optimistic.
Obviously, they see a value in it. What they do with this in the future will have to play out. Relax. Not really any of your worries anyway.
I want to see Cat succeed. I’m just not sure this is the best use of limited cash given Cat’s current market share and technology insertion.
I see these as nothing more than a form of snow bike and we know where that segment went.
At 200 lbs. That has to be a really lightweight 4-stroke. Put that in the ZR 200 for the kids. Up it to a 350cc and put it in the Blast for a true tweaner sled.
These look really cool , I hope they sell a bunch of these .
This will work great for race teams, for legs and balance training. Also will replace the pit bikes at Snocross races for all the race teams. Octane should start design work for wraps for these units so consumers and race teams can customize their own look. Cat will probably look at changing the name from Widescape to a more aggressive name. Also hope they can get that price point down some.
I would really like see what this motor would do in 200 platform or a price point (i.e. NEO) product…