BRP introduced this utility side-by-side for the 2016 model year, unveiling it in September 2015 as Can-Am’s first purpose-built work-oriented SxS. It marked a major expansion for the brand beyond its earlier sport-focused off-road lineup, targeting farm, ranch, hunting, and property-use customers with a machine designed around utility and durability rather than pure recreation. In North America it was sold under the Defender name, while BRP also used the Traxter name in other markets, especially in EMEA, for the same family of vehicles.
Over time, the line grew into a broad family of work and utility-recreation variants, including longer MAX configurations and higher-spec trim and cab packages. The model became one of Can-Am’s core off-road nameplates and a key part of BRP’s utility segment strategy. In 2025, BRP announced a new generation for the 2026 model year, showing that the nameplate remains active and in production rather than having ended and returned later.
Because the vehicle has remained a continuous production line since its introduction, there is no separate discontinuation-and-revival history for this record; the different names reflect regional branding of the same underlying model family.