BMW Motorrad, which says it wants to concentrate on urban mobility and electric vehicles, has sold Husqvarna Motorcycles to KTM CEO Stefan Pierer’s holding company. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
BMW’s decision to focus its future efforts only on road-going vehicles resulted from what Manfred Grunert, BMW’s head of product communications, called in an interview “the enormous downturn in the off-road market.” The company’s current core business consists exclusively of vehicles in the Tourer, Enduro, Roadster, and Super-Scooter categories. The next step in the evolution of the BMW line-up will be the addition of the C Evolution electric scooter in 2014.
The transfer of ownership from BMW to Pierer Industrie AG comes at an inconvenient time for Husqvarna, whose Nuda, Terra, and Strada models are powered by BMW-based engines. At the same time, the Indian motorcycle manufacturer Bajaj has reportedly acquired almost enough KTM stock to control the company. With hard facts scarce for the time being, speculation on the result of the deal focuses on several scenarios, one of which sees Pierer using Bajaj’s presence in the emerging Asian market to rejuvenate the Husqvarna brand.
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