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Edited Date/Time
5/3/2013 12:10pm
Just ran across this link. Haven't seen the news anywhere else to verify though.
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/is-husqvarna-dying-58696.html
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/is-husqvarna-dying-58696.html
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Adios Husky
http://husqvarna-motorcyclesna.com/product.php?pid=63&cid=23
KTM to manufacture Husqvarna in India with Bajaj KTM’s CEO Stephan Pierer, who is also the president of Pierer Industrie AG – now owners of Husqvarna, has said in an interview with CycleNews that Bajaj will be manufacturing Husqvarna models in India.
These bikes will be built in India by Bajaj, KTM’s Indian partner. Husqvarna is a well established name in the world of motocross and enduro bikes. The Swedish has been previously owned by BMW Motorrad and MV Augusta.
Mr. Pierer recently said that Husqvarna would enter Indian market with entry level bikes. These bikes would be powered by a single cylinder engine that is already being developed in cooperation with from Bajaj and KTM.
The upcoming bike would be an amalgam of motocross and supermoto and the new bike would be apt for both on and off road usage. The upcoming Husqvarna will come with a competitive sticker price that will be owing to BAL’s cost effective component sourcing and manufacturing.
The new bike might also be from India. In India, Bajaj might work for promoting the brand and the new bike.
Pit Row
KTM 2013 Husqvarna Nuda 900R
Bike enthusiasts have several reasons to rejoice this year. With a multitude of launches on the horizon, no one expected to own a Husqvarna motorcycle without breaking the bank. But now very good news has come, which will immediately put a massive smile on the face of motorcyclists. Yes, Bajaj-KTM will locally manufacture Husqvarna motorcycles in India. Yes, Husqvarna will offer a 200cc bike for India. Yes, this bike could be yours in less than 2-years time. Sounds too good to be true?
KTM CEO, Stefan Pierer wants to make a motorcycle alliance just like the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen owns 10 brands, with many vehicles using the same platform, engines, suspension, etc. This leads to low cost of development and higher profits. No wonder Volkswagen is one of the richest automobile companies in the world. So how does Mr. Pierer plan to do it? With Husqvarna under his belt, Mr. Pierer wants Bajaj Auto to manufacture Husky motorcycles in India, thereby leading to lower cost of production and higher profits.
“First Husqvarna motorcycle will be launched in India in 2 years. Proposed Husky model for India to be made at Bajaj’s Chakan plan will use joint engine platforms of Bajaj-KTM for Husky models. Joint-engine platform to be used for 125cc-200cc segment for Husqvarna,” Stefan Pierer, CEO, KTM, said.
However what is most important is how Husqvarna will share parts with KTM and Bajaj. The Duke 200 and Pulsar 200 NS share a lot of parts. The upcoming Husqvarna 200cc bike will use the Duke 200′s engine and could be positioned above the Duke. Thus Bajaj-KTM will offer three alternative in the 200cc segment – Pulsar 200 NS at the entry level, Duke 200 in the middle and the Husqvarna 200cc bike at the high end. The sourcing strategy will be similar too and the end result will be a more affordable motorcycle, with desirability firmly intact.
Bajaj-KTM will also develop a 125cc Husqvarna motorcycle, which will be primely targeted at European customers. We expect a 375cc motorcycle from Husqvarna as well, which would be based on the upcoming Duke 390. Thus Husqvarna and KTM motorcycle will be quite similar but with slight differences in the product and significant differences in the positioning.
Between the Lines :
A lot of people in the motorcycle industry have been wondering how come BMW sold Husqvarna, a brand they had bough only years prior to this move, and even more, how come Stefan Pierer, partly owning KTM has bought it "for himself".
In a phone interview with dutch we publication Nieuwsmotor, Pierer has explained this move. Pierer claims that with KTM already in the lead in the enduro and motocross segments, strong development and expansion in this area have become quite difficult.
Following the example of the auto industry, with more brands gathered under the same roof, Stefan Pierer believes that Husqvarna will provide the next direction for expanding the business. Despite BMW and Husqvarna have fared together really nicely these years, it now surfaces that the Germans are no longer willing to have anything in common with the off-road sector... so selling Husqvarna was really easy.
Pierer also believes that Husqvarna should go back the the roots and become once more a leading name in motocross, and then in supermoto. “The brand has a wonderful history, but a completely wrong model lineup and is on completely the wrong track," he adds.
While KTM and Husqvarna will fully retain their brand identity, Stefan Pierer admits there will be a lot of collaboration between the two and also believes that some Bajaj involvement in at least possible.
Now, we're really looking forward to see things developing, and we hope the Nuda and the road segment will not be sacked. No price was named, but Pierer added that the money was reasonable for both parties.
If they are being made in India by Bajaj, partners to KTM, when does Luongo get a Indian GP on the calendar and what European round does it replace? Just thinking long term here.
Of course great news for the sport is the news that Husqvarna will have a factory team in the Grand Prix series in 2014. Of course KTM are now the leaders in the FIM World Motocross Championships and while their dream is not to replace KTM with Husqvarna as the leader in the sport, but what they do want is to have Husqvarna as a top brand in the sport.
Q: Pit, can you tell me more about the plans for Husqvarna in the FIM World Motocross Championships in 2014?
Beirer: Husqvarna is a top brand with a lot of history. If you look back in history Husqvarna is important for the sport, it was founded around 1900, so it is one of the top brands that founded Motocross. We have a clear strategy for the brand in the FIM World Motocross Championships.
Q: How advanced are you with the new bikes for 2014?
Beirer: We have great plans and I have seen drawings of the new bikes and of course what is most interesting is we plan to create a factory team for next season. The details are not yet known, but for sure you will see Husqvarna at a high level in 2014.
Q: Can Husqvarna become similar to KTM as far as leading the sport?
Beirer: We have two different sizes of company, KTM have sold 100,000 bikes, while Husqvarna have to reach 20,000. Success to win a race you need one good rider on a machine, so if we do things at Husqvarna like we do at KTM then we will have success, I am sure of that. What is important is having the people who are really good at their job and we need to find these people, because we can't use the same people who are at KTM, we cannot spread those people too thin, because they are busy with our KTM project.
Q: Obviously from experience KTM know that nothing will happen overnight, but you must be looking for success with the bikes or not?
Beirer: It will just be step by step, I am sure we will see some really nice things in the coming years. You know what we learnt from KTM experiences, you cannot just buy the top rider and put him on a bike that isn't ready, we need to have a good bike, good team, good structure, and then we can get the rider we might want. We should get a medium rider and then develop the bike. We will not spend crazy money on a rider, we don't need to win races in 2014, but for sure I hope we can get some top ten finishes in 2014.
http://www.motocrossmx1.com/?type=News&newsID=3366&title=Pit
That is exporting hightech technology into 3rd world countries. And there are alot of unemployed europeans!! But of course this is due to socialist EUSSR.
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