BMW Sells Husqvarna to Pierer Industrie AG

The BMW Group has announced the sale of 110-year old Husqvarna Motorcycles to Austrian-based Pierer Industrie AG. “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,” says BMW in a press release.

Pierer Industrie AG is the principle shareholder of KTM. Originally a Swedish company, BMW acquired Husqvarna in 2008 when it purchased the Italian Cagiva MV Agusta group. The sale of Husky comes somewhat as a surprise considering the amount of money BMW has spent restructuring the company. BMW says the sale is part of a realigning strategy to focus urban mobility and e-mobility efforts.

“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, says BMW in its press release. 

“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.”

By Tom Roderick