The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that auto industry veteran Denis Le Vot had just taken over the wheel of BRP in February when the Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo maker was blindsided by new changes to U.S. import tariffs it warned could take a $500-million bite out of its business. The Globe's Nicolas Van Praet writes that now, Mr. Le Vot, following a career at Renault, is betting he can slash costs enough to steer through the turmoil. Mr. Le Vot said Thursday the company restored its financial forecast after yanking it in mid-April over U.S. tariff changes. Quebec-based BRP said it is working to soften the impact of the levies with about $200-million worth of mitigation measures, chiefly by cutting overhead expenses such as employee travel and speeding up previously planned efficiency initiatives. The good news is demand for BRP's products is holding up even with higher gasoline prices and the company continues to take market share from rivals in off-roaders, prompting an increase in its annual revenue estimates. Preorders for next season's snowmobile models, for example, are up 50 per cent over last year. The bad news is adjusted earnings for the year could be roughly half of the amount previously forecasted.