In a wide ranging and candid recent interview with Adam Child , published in the UK by Bennetts / Bike Social , MV Agusta CEO Timur Sardarov is quoted as saying that after the launch of five new models in 2020 , the pandemic has put the company a little behind where he had hoped it would be by the end of 2020 . He went on to say that in the coming years he sees MV Agusta " going into the wider range of mobility . The journey will start in the lighter mobility segment and move to urban

commuters that will be powered by electric propulsion . " We will produce high-performance bicycles that are also electrified . We are working on a new 500 cc platform with quite an interesting philosophy , and we are also working on our new adventure range that will be announced in the next three to four months . We are also working on a brand new 950 platform and our 800 is going through major change with Euro 5 . " We took the opportunity with the Euro 5 transition to bring

significantly more changes to all the bikes and all the platforms across the entire range . It ' s not just Euro 5 , it ' s major change to the products in terms of styling and technical packaging - from next year I would say all our range could be considered new ." He went on to say that the expected replacement for the F4 had not yet made it further than the drawing board and that " we currently have to work more towards electric propulsion rather than saving the combustion engine . " MV Agusta is a small company compared to many others , and for us it ' s important to see where everyone is going and evaluate complex developments for the highperformance superbike . We could produce a bike with 250 horsepower , but the quality of the rider and the quality of the ride needs to be balanced . " We need to first see what will happen with electric , hybrid or combustion and whether we will need a massive engine with a lot of power or something different . The F4 is a brand in its own right that appeared at a time when the most technologically advanced product was the superbike . " Will superbikes be important in five years and still represent the biggest technological advancements ? I don ' t know , it ' s an interesting question , but perhaps another product will have that technological superiority rather than a superbike ."

MV Agusta CEO Timur Sardarov : " Our focus is adventure - we will launch two bikes , one will be 500 cc , one around 1,000 cc ."

Speaking about retail changes in the market , Sardarov said : " It ' s important to move towards own-brand retail . The supermarket-style bike dealers are at the bottom of the food chain of the business , and COVID is putting nails in its coffin . " Dealers will either have to be loyal to a brand to deliver the experience to customers , or they will be wiped out . The faster they realise this the better , otherwise this

business will not exist in a couple of years . " I ' ve seen a lot of dealers in Europe deal with multibrands and I ' m confident that this standard dealer model is dead . So , for me , in terms of investment , it ' s about bringing in experience and showing the depth and history of the company to the customer . " We are also moving towards becoming a mobility company rather than just a motorcycle company because we have a new DNA in which mobility is becoming more important . We are also moving towards safe mobility , premium product and beautiful designs , but not too much about sports , as that ' s a very dangerous area that could backfire on the company . " Lifestyle , less pollutants , more comfortable , cheaper to own , reliable … this type of message is integrated into the product , which is why we are looking towards lighter motorcycles that are very connected . " Our focus [ in motorcycle terms ] is adventure . We will launch two bikes , one will be 500 cc , one around 1,000 cc ." Addressing his company ' s involvement in racing , he said " to be honest , we don ' t need racing for our brand . It ' s a good showcase , but it depends how we are approached . The company went through a crisis and we had to reduce our direct involvement in non-profit making activities , so we gave it up in 2017 . " All the racing we do now is done with partner teams and we are evaluating