ATV Industry Facts: Did You Know?

Can you name the first production ATV? Not so fast. The answer is more complicated than you’d think.

Unlike the automotive industry, there is some debate about what really was the first production ATV. The general consensus is that the honor belongs to Honda’s US90 three-wheeler, which was exported to the United States back in 1969 (as a 1970 model).

Interestingly, all-terrain vehicles, often produced domestically, were around in the U.S. from the 1960s onward. These earlier machines were typically amphibious, multiple-wheel-drive, and controlled like a skid-steer.

Many of these are still manufactured and offered today, only now we label them AATVs (amphibious all-terrain vehicles).

Bonus Fact: At nearly the same time the US90 was being developed and released, a U.S. company called Sperry Rand developed and released an ATV called the Tricart. Sadly, not only can’t the famous US90 lay claim to being the first ATV, but also it technically isn’t the first three-wheeler, either.