In a newsletter for the press, YAMAHA Motor Corporation reported that the production history of the SEROW has quietly come to an end and a ceremony was held to send off the last model, SEROW 250 FINAL EDITION.
From the press release below
Sending off the last SEROW while employees watching over
When one of the motorcycles appeared on the shipping site after being pushed by an inspector, a round of applause aroused from the employees who had gathered to see the motorcycle off. There are sales employees who said "Thank you!", female employees with teary eyes, and also veteran technical employees who keep staring at the motorcycle to recall something.
On July 31, the last unit of Mountain Trail "SEROW 250 FINAL EDITION" left the production line to be seen by a crowd of employees, marking the end of 35 years of production of the "SEROW".
The SEROW is an off-road motorcycle created in 1985. While creating a new category of a mountain trail in the off-road motorcycle market as well as expanding the fan foundation, the model was also very popular among women and beginners for its ease of use and versatility. On the other hand, as a record long-selling model with over 140,000 units produced in Japan alone, there was widespread regret among customers, dealers, and even a group of employees when the new model was announced as the FINAL EDITION in January of this year.
Employees' love of SEROW overflows the internet
Well, it's a heavy rainy day in early April. Our employee motorcycle parking lot, where many of us commute to work by motorcycle, doesn't have as many motorcycles on a rainy day. A male employee involved in the internet operation of the company recalls, "I usually see a lot of employees commuting to work by SEROW, so I counted the motorcycles in one of the several motorcycle parking areas and there were exactly 50 motorcycles there, even on a rainy day."
"On the motorcycle parking lot, I was reminded of how much the products are loved not only by the customers but also by the employees. For most of us, SEROW is a senior member of the company who has been with us since we joined, and I wonder how many of us have worked with SEROW through our work."
About two months later, "Your SEROW Story" was launched on the internet. The site is filled with an overflowing amount of SEROW love posted by our employees, including photo introductions of their beloved motorcycles, episodes of their work, and personal lives with SEROW, and words for SEROW. Some of the episodes include stories of couples who have met and gotten to know each other through "SEROW". 3 months have passed since it was launched, and the site continues to be filled with postings by employees.
The aforementioned employee said, "When I look at the submissions, I get the feeling that there may not be any product that has been loved by as many employees, both in public and private, as this one. Unfortunately, the planned SEROW-themed social event and user meeting for fans were cancelled as part of the infection prevention measures. We hope that the day will come soon when employees and customers could be able to discuss the appeal of SEROW without worrying about what's on offer.
SEROW250 FINAL EDITION
https://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/mc/lineup/serow/
Some of the employees who participated in the ceremony "took half a day off to rush over"", while others regretted that they were ""unfortunately unable to be present"" due to limited travel restrictions to prevent corona infection. The ceremony was a reminder of the importance of this long-selling model, with people from a wide range of departments, including planning, development, manufacturing, sales, and safety promotion, and one-third of the attendees are female employees.
(Public Relations Group: Daiki Ishida)
Original Source [ YAMAHA Motor ]
