Photo: MV Agusta
Interesting motorcycle industry rumors indicate that the Daimler group would be quite happy to invest in a minority stake for the Italian manufacturer MV Agusta. While the presence of Mercedes in this affair is still impossible to prove, such a move is not that much of a surprise. Back in 2012, another German car manufacturer, Audi (Volkswagen Group) has made a decisive investment and got hold of Ducati, which was struggling with huge debts and was eyeing a rather dismal future.
Still, with the brand of Varese, things are so much different: if Ducati was almost sunk in 2012, MV Agusta is floating quite nicely, and the recent sales figures indicate that the upwards trend is solid, with a steady growth expected to last through the end of 2014. In fact, it appears like the sustained growth of the brand, combined with excellent dynamism as far as the model line-up is concerned have been indicator that the brand is doing fine, and has become an attractive “prey” for investors. MV Agusta has also returned to World Superbike and World Supersport racing and has recently put an end to its ties with Russion team Yakhnich, remaining a fully-independent factory entry for both series.
On the other hand, MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni, son of the famous Claudio Castiglioni, has repeatedly said that the company is drawing near to the point when the growth and expansion will only be possible with massive investments from third party bodies. An IPO (initial public offer) was mentioned on more than one occasion, but no decisive moves have been made so far, at least no news/ rumors of them have leaked.
Unlike in the case of Ducati which effectively entered under the control of Audi, Mercedes/Daimler is rumored to only own a minority stake at MV Agusta. However, it looks like things ae on the move at MV Agusta, as the newly-appointed executive vice president Giorgio Girelli has a solid experience in the financial markets and was the man who took care of Generali bank’s stock exchange moves.
Whether going public or entering a strategic partnership with Mercedes, one thing is sure: MV Agusta is not idling, and it looks like we’re going to see even more machinery launched at the EICMA this fall.
On the other hand, MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni, son of the famous Claudio Castiglioni, has repeatedly said that the company is drawing near to the point when the growth and expansion will only be possible with massive investments from third party bodies. An IPO (initial public offer) was mentioned on more than one occasion, but no decisive moves have been made so far, at least no news/ rumors of them have leaked.
Unlike in the case of Ducati which effectively entered under the control of Audi, Mercedes/Daimler is rumored to only own a minority stake at MV Agusta. However, it looks like things ae on the move at MV Agusta, as the newly-appointed executive vice president Giorgio Girelli has a solid experience in the financial markets and was the man who took care of Generali bank’s stock exchange moves.
Whether going public or entering a strategic partnership with Mercedes, one thing is sure: MV Agusta is not idling, and it looks like we’re going to see even more machinery launched at the EICMA this fall.
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