Suzuki shipments and profits up
Good news and bad news for Suzuki in the results announced for the first quarter of its 2021 / 2022 financial year ( April , May and June of 2021 ) with good management boosting profits but unit sales in developed markets still soft . Motorcycle shipments to its distributors and dealers in Europe were flat compared to the same period in 2020 at just 10,000 units and remain down on the 15,000 units shipped in the equivalent 2019 period . North American shipments are - 47.6 % down on the 2020 period , also at 10,000 units , having been 12,000 in the 2019 financial year first quarter . At 16,000 units , its domestic Japanese shipments were + 28.3 % compared to the 2020 quarter and up on the 14,000 in 2019 . Led by the Philippines (+ 79.4 %), India (+ 74 . 9 %) and China (+ 23.2 %), shipments in Asia were + 41.6 % overall at 283,000 units ( up on 2020 but still down on 2019 ), with
The popularity of the high value Hayabusa has helped drive profit margin improvements for Suzuki .
total global unit shipments at 363,000 ( including 4,000 ATVs ), which was + 32.3 % compared to the same quarter in 2020 - behind the 456,000 units shipped in the same period in 2019 . At 57.5bn yen , revenue from motorcycle sales for the period was + 64.5 %, up on the same period in 2020 ( a 7.7 % margin ) and modestly below the 65.6bn yen seen in the 2019 period ( which had produced a 3.4 % operating profit margin ), giving Suzuki a + 7.4 % improvement in operating profit over the same quarter in 2020 and a 2.1bn yen improvement over the 2.3bn yen profit made from motorcycle activities in the first quarter of its 2019 / 2020 financial year .
GSX-S1000GT
Recent years have seen a relative lack of new metal from Suzuki , but the company has become increasingly adept at reskinning its existing models to make valuable additions to the range . Saving on the R & D costs that an allnew machine would involve also means the company ' s latest models can be attractively priced , even when compared to older bikes in rivals ' ranges . Never has the strategy been better implemented than in this year ' s revamped GSX-S1000 and now the new GSX-S1000GT that ' s joined it in the line-up . Replacing the tired-looking GSX- S1000F , the GSX-S1000GT ' s transformation is an impressive one .
Not only is the bodywork completely revamped , replacing bulbous curves with crisp edges , but the technology has been brought into the 2020s . Under the new look , the frame and engine are lifted straight from the old
GSX-S1000F , but that ' s not a bad thing . That 998 cc four-cylinder traces its heritage back to the GSX-R1000K5 - a high-point in superbike history - and the alloy beam frame isn ' t exactly outdated tech . With 150 hp at 11,000 rpm and 78 lb / ft at 9,250 rpm , the GSX-S1000GT ' s figures match its predecessor , but it still outguns its clearest rival , Kawasaki ' s Ninja 1000SX .
KTM , PIERER , Bajaj and a bunch of funky stuff
KTM , Husqvarna and GasGas parent company PIERER Mobility AG says it has now implemented its complicated strategy to simplify its byzantine investment structure relationship with Indian conglomerate and ' Partner in Orange-ness ', Bajaj Auto . In a summary issued by PIERER Mobility , the strategy sees Bajaj bring its 46.5 % stake in KTM AG to the listed PIERER Mobility AG parent company ; the PIERER Mobility AG Management Board resolves capital increase of € 895m to compensate Bajaj for the stake it is relinquishing , resulting in the PIERER Mobility AG stake in the KTM AG operating subsidiary rising to 98.2 % from 51.7 %. Bajaj Auto Ltd . ( India ) and its subsidiary Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV ( Netherlands , " BAIHBV ") and the PIERER Group signed the relevant contracts on September 29th , 2021 , transferring the shares in KTM AG held by Bajaj ( 46.5 % from a total of around 48 %) to PTW Holding AG - itself the majority shareholder of PIERER Mobility AG , and owned by the PIERER Group . In return , BAIHBV was granted a 49.9 % stake in PTW Holding AG . In a second step , the 46.5 % KTM share package now held by PTW
Earth calling Austria - if anybody at the Big Orange Mother Ship actually understands this news , could they contact us to explain it please ?
Holding AG will be brought into PIERER Mobility AG as part of a capital increase in kind against the granting of new shares . The Management Board of PIERER Mobility AG decided to carry out a capital increase in kind in the amount of € 895m , which corresponds to 49.9 % of the existing share capital , from the authorised capital . The 11,257,861 new shares are issued at a price higher than the current market price of € 79.50 per share . The capital increase of PIERER Mobility AG takes place exclusively against contribution in kind of the KTM shares by PTW Holding AG and with the exclusion of subscription rights of the other shareholders . Subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board , the capital increase will be carried out in the second half of October . After completing this transaction , PIERER Mobility AG ' s stake in the operational KTM AG will increase from currently around 51.7 % to around 98.2 %. The PIERER Group will continue to retain sole control over PIERER Mobility AG . In writing this item , Robin Bradley - owner of International Dealer News and a PIERER Mobility ( or is it KTM ) shareholder - says he didn ' t even understand the press release , never mind the process or outcome of what has actually happened . He has a polite request for anyone outside of the boardroom at Mattighofen , Austria , who actually understands this , could they let him know if his stake is now worth more or less than when he bought it !
KTM paints Greece orange
The 2021 KTM European Adventure Rally ( the fourth edition - September 22-25 ) saw some 150 enthusiasts and KTM staff from over 20 countries pushing their personal limits over 700 km of " epic trails in the mountains of
central Greece . " The event welcomed self-navigating adventure riding alongside guided group riders and the route took them on all kinds of terrain , from gravel roads to enduro-style trails - allowing attendees to live a pure ' Ready to Race ' experience ." The event basecamp was at the beachside town of Nafpaktos and guiding the groups were KTM R & D Street Test Manager and four-time Baja 1000 winner Quinn Cody , together with six-time Enduro World Champion Giovanni Sala and other KTM ambassadors and staff from the Orange Mother Ship in Austria .
30 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2021 www . idnmag . com