Thursday, January 31, 2013
BMW has sold its subsidiary brand, Husqvarna, to Pierer Industry AG, an Austrian company reportedly owned by KTM CEO Stefan Pierer. BMW cites realignment of its brand for “urban mobility and e-mobility” as reason for selling off Husqvarna. Curiously, BMW’s statement makes no mention of KTM in its announcement. The release makes no mention of what the relationship of Husqvarna and Pierer Industry AG will be to KTM, which is partly owned by the Indian manufacturer Bajaj.
The Husqvarna marque has been bought and sold many times in its history (read more in The Rise and Fall of Husqvarna Motorcycles). Originally a Swedish company, Husqvarna was acquired by Cagiva in 1986 and went Italian, eventually consolidated with Cagiva under the MV Agusta group in 2002. BMW acquired the brand in 2007. Traditionally a dirt bike brand, under BMW ownership Husqvarna began developing street models based off BMW engines.
The full press release is posted below, courtesy of BMW. – Motorcycle USA Ed
The BMW Group is realigning its BMW Motorrad business. In the context of changing motorcycle markets, demographic trends and increasing environmental demands, BMW Motorrad will expand its product offering to exploit future growth potential. The focus of the realignment will be on urban mobility and e-mobility. By restructuring the segment, the BMW Group will concentrate on expanding and utilising the resources of the BMW Motorrad brand. Therefore the BMW Group signed a purchase agreement with Pierer Industrie AG (Austria) for the acquisition of Husqvarna Motorcycles. The acquisition will proceed subject to approval by anti-trust authorities. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Expanded offering for urban mobility and e-mobility
BMW Motorrad achieved a new sales record in 2012. With the realignment of its motorcycle business, BMW Motorrad aims to maintain profitable and sustainable growth over the coming years. Its current core business consists exclusively of premium vehicles in the categories “Tourer”, “Enduro”, “Sport”, “Roadster” and “Maxi-Scooter” from 650 to 1600 cc. BMW Motorrad entered the urban mobility segment for the first time in 2012 with the C 650 GT and C 600 Sport maxi-scooters. The next step in the expansion of the product line-up in this segment will be the series launch of the “C evolution” electric scooter in 2014. Further innovative vehicle concepts are also under consideration. Drive trains will include both environmentally-friendly combustion engines and pure electric drives. This move by BMW Motorrad reflects the BMW Group’s overall focus on early identification of trends, such as megacities and traffic density, as well as environmental issues. Corresponding products and services are already available for the Automobile segment.
Continuation of product offensive
In addition to the expansion in the field of urban mobility, core segments from the 650 single-cylinder entry-level bike to the 6-cylinder luxury tourer will also be selectively expanded.
Related Post :
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer interview Here
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