LATE BRAKING NEWS - REVIEWS - FORUM

--  Sale of Husqvarna Motorcycles to Pierer Industrie AG --  KTM CEO buys Husqvarna through personally owned company --  By Trevor Hedge KTM board member since 1992, and current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KTM Power Sports AG, Stefan Pierer has overseen the revitalization of the KTM and Husaberg brands at the Austrian company over the past decade and now has set his sights on Husqvarna. Via a personally owned company, Pierer Industrie AG, Pierer has purchased the Husqvarna brand, which itself recently benefitted from the significant investment in its manufacturing facilities and product after BMW took ownership of the Husqvarna brand in 2007 from Cagiva, for a reported 93 million euro. The resale amount to Pierer has not been revealed. Husqvarna's manufacturing facilities remain in Varese, Italy. Last year KTM sold roughly ten-times the amount of motorcycles as Husqvarna.  KTM has recently introduced affordable 125cc and 200cc road bikes in some markets built in India by Bajaj Auto. The Indian firm owns a 48 per cent stake in KTM. Pierer is likely to evaluate bringing the Husqvarna brand in to the KTM stable, and leveraging their ties with Bajaj to also introduce Indian made models to the Husqvarna brand. --  Below is the BMW Press Release 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. 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. 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.

- LATE BRAKING NEWS - REVIEWS - FORUM - WALLPAPER -