Cycle World reports that BMW has agreed to sell the Husqvarna brand. But the sale isn't to KTM as originally believed, but instead to Pierer Industrie AG of Austria - the company owned by Stephan Pierer, the CEO of KTM.
BMW Motorrad says the sale of Husky is part of the realignment of itsmotorcycle business, in which Husqvarna always seemed like the odd man out anyway. However Husky has benefitted considerably from BMW's expertise, and seems healthier now than in the past.
The departure of Husky will allow BMW Motorrad to expend more energy in its mainstream interests, and the company says it will expand its product offerings. "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 utilizing 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 purchased Husqvarna from the Castiglioni family (the owners of MV Agusta) in 2008 and have been active in expanding the line-up - both with new off-road models and streetbikes like the Nuda 900.
Although it sounds like BMW will focus its efforts on the "urban mobility" sector, it closed its press release with... "core segments from the 650 single-cylinder entry-level bike to the six-cylinder luxury tourer will also be selectively expanded."
"With the realignment of its motorcycle business, BMW Motorrad aims to maintain profitable and sustainable growth over the coming years," BMW's release states. "Its current core business consists exclusively of premium vehicles in the categories "Tourer", "Enduro", "Sport", "Roadster" and "Maxi-Scooter" from 650 to 1600cc. 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.––Paul Duchene
