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thanks, Point!
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Here's the official press release by BMW
Strategic realignment at BMW Motorrad
31.01.2013
Sale of Husqvarna Motorcycles to Pierer Industrie AG
Munich. 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.
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anyone interested is prob reading the same things elsewhere but, i'll post a few more updates...
-------------Interview Manfred Grunert BMW Motorrad about Husqvarna
Thursday, January 31, 2013
(web translation)
Today Nieuwsmotor.nl talked with Manfred Grunert, Head of Product Communications BMW Motorrad. "I can now announce that BMW Group indeed will sell Husqvarna Motorcycles to Pierer Industrie AG for an undisclosed sum. This is subject to approval by the competition authorities, we expect that within a month can be completed. Due of the enormous drop in the offroad market, BMW has decided to focus purely on BMW Motorrad, so onroadmodellen of over 600cc. never say never, but in the short term, BMW will therefore not return in the offroad segment.
The new owner will be responsible for the service of the sold Husqvarna's. At the moment he takes over the brand will immediately cease all involvement of BMW, which also applies to supply engines and parts for current models. All "expat" employees from Germany at BMW are still on the payroll and will therefore return to BMW. The employees of Husqvarna'll just stay in service.
We do not feel this as a loss of face but as a logical decision after the collapse of the offroad market. I know the circumstances under which other major engine manufacturers withdrew from an Italian company, but for us this is not an issue. Your remark that this is very costly for BMW I can not answer, as you know we do not talk about the sums of money. "
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), the world’s largest maker of luxury vehicles, agreed to sell its struggling Husqvarna off-road motorcycle unit to focus its two- wheeler efforts on its namesake brand.
Pierer Industrie AG, the holding company of Austrian investor Stefan Pierer, which also owns a 51 percent stake of motorcycle maker KTM AG, signed an agreement to buy the brand for an undisclosed sum, the Munich-based manufacturer said today in a statement.
“Husqvarna didn’t fit to BMW’s long-term strategy,” Pierer said today in a telephone interview. He aims to end losses at the brand, which will remain independent, by 2014.
BMW, seeking to defend its lead in luxury-car sales from Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Audi and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, is parting ways with Husqvarna after buying the brand in 2007 to appeal to younger riders. The manufacturer plans to scale back ambitions in the off-road motorcycle segment with the sale.
“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 company said in the statement. “The focus of the realignment will be on urban mobility and e- mobility.”
Pierer plans to retain Husqvarna’s focus on off-road bikes and will use KTM’s international marketing experience to facilitate expansion, he said.
Limited Synergies
KTM, originally an off-road brand, has successfully expanded its model lineup to street bikes over the past decade. The Mattighofen, Austria-based company’s motorbike sales rose 32 percent to 107,142 vehicles last year with strong growth in India, the home country of KTM’s partner Bajaj, which holds 47 percent of the manufacturer.
Husqvarna sold 10,751 motorcycles last year, an increase of 16 percent. Deliveries of BMW-brand motorbikes increased 2 percent in 2012 to 106,358 vehicles globally, marking a record for the 90-year-old marque.
“The synergies between BMW and Husqvarna motorcycles were probably limited,” said Frank Biller, an analyst with LBBW in Stuttgart. “The brands address two very distinct customer groups and completely different motorcycle segments.”
Husqvarna, which started making motorbikes in Sweden 110 years ago, was previously owned by Italy’s Cagiva MV Agusta group. The vehicles are now developed and produced in Cassinetta di Biandronno, Italy.
BMW started rolling out two scooter models in July to attract urban commuters. The company plans to introduce an electric scooter next year.
Last edited by typeone; 01-31-13 at 01:12 PM.
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KTM buys Husqvarna; Huskys may roll out of Chakan
Bajaj Auto's Austrian partner firm KTM Auto announced that it would acquire 100% of BMW's off-road niche motorcycle brand Husqvarna. The acquisition would be made by KTM Auto's parent firm Pierer Industrie AG. The development would come as a big boost to the country's second largest two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto.
Last edited by typeone; 02-01-13 at 08:02 AM.
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Can't wait, I love to wife swap! errr bike swap I mean!
Originally Posted by typeone
you can ride mine
good luck with that
we've got some older swappers up the road (for real) you should see them try to work their magic at the local bar. hilarious.
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starting to look more like a joining of forces...
"ET learns from a source close to the development that Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM has acquired 100% stake in Husqvarna, in his personal capacity from BMW. Husqvarna, a 100 year-old Swedish brand will eventually be transferred to KTM by Pierer."
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/18276284.cms
(Reuters) - The owner of offroad motorbike maker KTM (KTMP.VI) acquired rival brand Husqvarna fromGermany's BMW (BMWG.DE) on Thursday in a consolidation move that helps shave costs as the industry copes with a slump in Europe.
Entrepreneur Stefan Pierer, who owns a majority stake in KTM, told Reuters he was taking a page out of Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) book by buying the Italian-based company, whose one-cylinder enduros and motocross bikes are dubbed "Huskies" by their fans.
"Almost ten years ago we started a small platform strategy just like what Volkswagen does on a far larger level," he said in a telephone interview after the deal, declining to provide financial details.
"Even though this is a niche business, you have the same problem as in the car industry. Development costs for modern, sporty motorcycles are so high - especially for engines - that a small brand (like Husqvarna) can no longer shoulder them on its own."
Pierer's KTM also owns the Husaberg, a Swedish brand founded by two engineers in 1988 after Husqvarna motorcycle moved its operations to Italy from its Scandinavian home.
"I want to see Husqvarna sales double in five years time to 20,000 motorbikes," he said, adding that his immediate focus would be on rejuvenating the ageing line-up of offroad models.
Instead of fully integrating both companies, Husqvarna and KTM will be managed separately, while reaping the benefits of using common components.
"This way we can use common engineering platforms to develop a variety of models that have completely different characteristics for each brand," Pierer said.
Husqvarna generated roughly 65 million euros selling roughly 10,000 bikes, he said, while KTM sold 107,000 motorcycles with revenue of 612 million euros.
In a rare acquisition, BMW scooped up Husqvarna at the peak of the market in 2007 to improve its position in the field of light, sporty motorbikes and extend the range to include younger customer groups as well as the entire off-road and supermoto sector.
The market in Europe, however, has shrunk almost by half since the deal, and BMW never attained sustained growth of the business in the face of such harsh headwinds.
BMW said it was selling the brand as part of a strategic realignment of its motorcycle business to focus on urban and electric mobility "in the context of changing motorcycle markets, demographic trends and increasing environmental demands."
KTM by comparison has a strong position in the segment in which Husqvarna competes, with roughly 30 percent of the global market share in motocross and 50 percent in enduro, according to Pierer.
When asked whether he was concerned the two brands might cannibalise each other's sales, he admitted there would be a slight effect.
Overall, however, the Husqvarna brand would help it take share away from Honda (7267.T), Yamaha (7272.T), Kawasaki (7012.T) and Suzuki (7269.T).
"It's never 1 plus 1 equals 3, but it's certainly 2.7, and there are still four Japanese brands from which there's plenty to grab."
(Reporting By Christiaan Hetzner; editing by Andrew Hay)
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"The new owner will be responsible for the service of the sold Husqvarna's. At the moment he takes over the brand will immediately cease all involvement of BMW, which also applies to supply engines and parts for current models." - I have to admit that this part kind of scares me. Husky has been bought and sold a couple of times, and each time the parts supply gets a bit more "blurry", and bike lineage becomes very important (pre-Cagiva vs post-Cagiva, pre-BMW vs post-BMW, etc.). The truly knowledgeable and helpful dealerships (like Hall's) end up having a virtual monopoly on the parts supply.
I still have a soft spot in my heart for the original Swedish chrome panel tank bikes (loved my 1979 OR 390!), but after that, the love fades. OTOH - I have never loved any of my KTM's (from 1979 - up). They always felt crude and unrefined to me.
I do hope that Pierer can instill some good engineering and *stability* into the brand, and move it forward as a real player in the market, both in terms of off road bikes, and street machines. Hopefully, we see a Nuda 1200, in tour option.
i'm curious how Husaberg fits into this equation.
back to the comment i started the thread with, do those teams actually reunite? does Husky take over Husabergs place? the 'Bergs have been becoming more and more KTM as time goes on. Husky could slide right into that position with a revamped lineup AND more range. (off-road/dual-sport/street)
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i rang Wagner yesterday, they were surprised by the news and had no info about the future. i was curious because they were a BMW car/bike dealer before adding Ducati, Husky... and Indian (so odd)
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http://www.enduro21.com/index.php/co...na-motorcyclesEnduro21.com understands that during the next six months Pierer Industrie AG will evaluate the co-operation potential with the KTM/Husaberg group.
But possibly the most interesting piece of news is that it is expected that the Husqvarna Motorcycle brand will be re-launched later this year. Exactly what the re-launching will entail we don’t yet know. But the most likely place for this is the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, November 7-10. That gives Pierer Industrie AG time, but not a lot of time, to get their house in order and to implement their master plan.
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LOL. That they did not know about this at all scares me, too!
I'm thinking I should buy a husky while they are still cheap!
Paul_E_D
Interesting that the only articles mentioning any Bajaj involvement -- or implying that this Husqvarna purchase is a KTM move, not an independent one by Pierer -- are from Indian sources.
Regardless, it'll be interesting to watch this develop.
I'm just glad Husqvarna has been rescued from BMW...
--mark
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Wow. I have to agree with that!
CR125 w/free 144 kit. doo eet!
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http://hellforleathermagazine.com/20...ing-husqvarna/
Nieuwsmotor: Why Husqvarna when, with Husaberg, you already have a similar marque?
Stefan Pierer: “We think that with Husqvarna, there’s a specific niche to tackle. With this brand, we want to focus on competing with Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. We’d like to move the brand to selling 10,000 units per year, then continue watching. For that, Husqvarna needs to go back to it’s roots, it’s strayed too far.”
“The brand has a wonderful history, but a completely wrong model lineup and is on completely the wrong track. The dealer network was not ready to sell two-cylinder street models.”
“We will work with Husqvarna to go back to its origins. We’ll soon be back in motocross and then in supermoto, both sports in which Husqvarna previously dominated. Within the next year, we will make an appropriate motorcycle developed with the specifications and character Husqvarna needs.”
Nieuwsmotor: How do you integrate Husqvarna and KTM?
Stefan Pierer: “The brands will remain self sufficient in terms of brand perception, models and sales networks, but as I mentioned earlier, there will be a lot of behind the scenes cooperation in the field of R&D, purchasing, components and more. We’re not sure if production will remain in Varese, Italy or move to Mattinghofen, Austria.”
“Initially, Husqvarna was bought by my private company, Pierer Industry, but in the future this may change and possibly involve our Indian partner Bajaj.”
Last edited by typeone; 02-01-13 at 04:41 PM.
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word on the street, Husky is offering $2500 off all models, few guys grabbed brand new CR125s with 144 kits for ~$3,750.
man, wish i had some spare cash!
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more info popping up today. hmmm, Husaberg no more??
After a discussion with a factory insider, I learned that Husaberg production will not start again, as has already been done with the Husaberg Power parts - apparel etc. So no new 2014 Husabergs. Stefan Pierer's plan is to continue KTM and Husqvarna production. Articles that appeared at Italian websites insisted that ALL Husky models (including the BMW engined) will continue for 2014. Unions are strong in Italy.
So, after so many years, and after Husaberg as a Husqvarna spin-off helped create the hugely successful RFS models, the circle closes: Husaberg is needed no more, and Husqvarna will be KTM's alter ego. And if they are smart, new Husky models will have their unique features, and be clearly differentiated from KTMs.
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Holy hell, that's almost worth upgrading from the WReck?!word on the street, Husky is offering $2500 off all models, few guys grabbed brand new CR125s with 144 kits for ~$3,750.
man, wish i had some spare cash!
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more info popping up today. hmmm, Husaberg no more??
In all seriousness, if they had something that could match the 2013 KTM 200 for my wife, I'd be at a dealership working a trade against her TT-R 125 right now.
WR150
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I don't see that on Husky's site... the 2011 lacks e-start. Can it be detuned to be as mild as the 200?WR150
Clinton,
Talk to me about these silly deals on the Huskys. I wouldn't mind having a smaller displacement 2 stroke Husky in the fold. Don't they male a 300cc two stroke that is street legal too?
Joel
oops, e-start. sorry, i've never had a dirt bike with the button so i forgot about that feature but these little bikes are super easy to kick over.
the WR125 comes with a FREE 144cc kit that gives the bike some nice grunt. you could tune the PV a tad if the power comes on too strong but i think the powerband is perfect for woods. the WR also has a heavier FW, headlight and tail light (not all years though), the CRs are for MX and do not. if it's a little too snappy, smaller rear sprocket and you're good. those little motors can pulllll.
Joel, working to meet a deadline right now but later on i'll dig around and try to get some more detail for you. Or, if you have time, scope CH, those guys are talking about the pricing deals.
Not sure if all dealers will offer the same discounts so a call to a few would prob be best. When i read about CR/WRs going OTD for so cheap I had to seriously give it some thought.
On the 2T street legal, no, not from the factory for use in the US (they do in EU) but you can find them pretty easily here. lots pop up in PA/NJ that have street titles. here's one that popped up on CL, it's in New Hampshire. i'd love to have this bike as well. i bet he could be talked down a bit.
http://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/3714752616.html
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but i have a seafoam green 125cc scooter 
