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NEWS
BRIEFS
Founded by Ivo Zanatta in 2018 , his Veneto , Italy , Eleveit motorcycle boots and apparel business has signed on as a technical partner with the new European Enduro Championship .
In its 95th year , Ducati marked its second consecutive MotoGP Constructors ' World Championship win with a " record year " for sales in 2021 at 59,447 motorcycles sold worldwide (+ 24 % over 2020 and + 12 % over 2019 ). It saw double-digit growth in all major markets , including USA , which regained its position as Ducati ' s top market (+ 32 %/ 9,007 units sold ), followed by Italy ( 8,707 /+ 23 %) and Germany ( 6,107 /+ 11 %). There was growth too in China ( 4,901 /+ 21 %), France ( 4,352 /+ 12 %), UK ( 2,941 /+ 30 %) and Australia (+ 50 %). Bestseller was the Multistrada V4 ( 9,957 units sold ).
Taiwan based KYMCO ( Kwang Yang Motor Co ) recently took a 2 % ownership stake in the 74 % Harley owned LiveWire SPAC that is being used to spin off LiveWire as a standalone business for a listing on the NYSE . Reports in Taiwan suggest that chairman Allen Ko is said to be considering following " the model of Harley-Davidson " in creating a public listing spin-off for its Ionex swappable battery electric scooter technology .
Lexus Europe has unveiled a Recreational Off-highway Vehicle ( ROV ) concept - " a unique hydrogen-powered vehicle offering near zeroemissions driving combined with extreme off-road capability . It reflects a commitment by Lexus to ensure exhilarating driving can co-exist with a carbon-free society centred on responsible mobility . For demanding offroad driving , the first Lexus hydrogen ICE will meet all the carmaker ' s stringent requirements for QDR ( Quietness , Durability , Reliability )".
The All Balls Racing Group has rebranded the popular range of dirt bike , ATV and UTV complete engine rebuild kits previously available under the Wrench Rabbit name from the Vertex ( Italy ) brand . Described as an " economical and convenient ' all-inone-box ', the kits will contain top-quality Italian-made Vertex pistons and engine parts from other well-known ABRG / Arrowhead brands such as Hot Rods and Hot Cams ".
A Letter from Russia
Russian motorcycle manufacturer Ural issued the following statement on February 24th - the day Russia invaded Ukraine ( again !)… " Dear Friends , " We wish we wouldn ’ t have to update you under the circumstances we find ourselves in . " Questions and concerns inevitably come up about possible sanctions , availability of bikes and parts , support and so on . The short answer is that we are as ready as we can possibly be to address whatever
The PIERER Mobility Group has reported motorcycle sales of + 23 % for 2021 at 332,881 units with an additional 102,753 in bicycle sales (+ 40 %), some 76,916 of which were e- bicycles (+ 37 %). The Group delivered EBIT of € 193.5m (+ 80 %) at a margin of 9.5 % and EBITDA of € 332.2m (+ 42 %) at a margin of 16.3 %. Sales revenue was up by over 30 % despite the supply chain challenges at € 2,042m ( from € 1,530m in 2020 ), with an EBIT margin of 9.5 %. In the 2021 financial year , around € 178.5m was invested in growth , of which approximately € 131.1m was invested in product development and tooling and € 47.4m in operating facilities and infrastructure , with a record free cash flow of € 172.2m , which corresponds to 8.4 % of the revenues . In the past financial year , the number of employees was increased by 663 . As of December 31 , 2021 , the PIERER Mobility Group had a total of 5,249 employees , 4,340 of them in Austria . Approximately 1,000 employees work in research and development ( approx . 19 % of the workforce ). A total of 249,290 KTM motorcycles were sold , with 60,801 Husqvarna and 22,790 GasGas motorcycles sold in 2021 . In the sales regions of Europe , unit sales were around 120,000 motorcycles , with some two-thirds ( approx . 210,000 ) sold outside Europe . Significant growth was also recorded in North America with almost 66,000 units sold (+ 25 %); in Australia sales increased by 26 % to about 21,000 . The strongest growth potential was seen in South America (+ 62 %) with 32,500 and in Asia (+ 56 %) with 30,000 challenges may come our way . " Over the years we ' ve learned to navigate ups and downs , to make plans B , C and D , both strategically and on the fly . We ’ ve weathered storms that were very real and dealt with obstacles that were not so publicly known .
" The history of our brand shows that Ural always finds a way to move forward . " Our highest priorities have always been our employees , our partners and our customers . We still hope for people to
motorcycles sold . For 2021 , the market share of all three brands was 11.5 % in a European market that was + 8 % ( 740,000 units ). American and Australian market shares were 11.3 % and 19.7 % respectively . The overall Indian motorcycle market is on a slight upswing (+ 2 %). Bajaj sold 60,000 KTM and Husqvarna motorbikes in India , resulting in a market share of 7 %. In other news , PIERER Mobility continued its race success with GasGas , winning its first Dakar Rally in January 2022 with Sam Sunderland delivering the Group ' s 19th Dakar title in total . In 2021 the three brands won 21 world championship titles in both road and off-road racing . Having rebuilt its byzantine share ownership structure , PIERER Mobility AG intends to apply for the admission of its shares to the Official Market ( prime market segment ) of the Vienna Stock Exchange , effective 1st March , 2022 . The primary listing of the shares of PIERER Mobility AG ( ISIN : AT0000KTMI02 ) remains with SIX Swiss Exchange . The Group continued its expansion in the bicycle market with the acquisition of California based FELT Bicycles , remain human , value life and stand for living instead of fighting . " We pray for peace . " The team at Ural "
KTM Group - 2021 motorcycle unit sales + 23 %, buys FELT Bicycles
marking its entry into the North American bicycle market . FELT has been integrated into the Group ' s PIERER E- Bikes GmbH division . Founded in 1991 in California , USA , FELT Bicycles has an established reputation for producing highperformance , drop-bar road , triathlon , track , cyclocross , gravel and adventure bikes . " Always striving for innovation , during its 30-year history , FELT Bicycles has pioneered carbon fibre usage in bike design , set new standards in mountain bike suspension systems , and revolutionised aerodynamic development in the pursuit of the ultimate racing equipment . FELT bikes have been ridden to stage wins at Grand Tours , earned record-breaking triathlon world titles , Olympic gold medals and world championships on various terrain ." Despite the " existing challenges in the supply chain , the PIERER Mobility Group continues to focus on growth in all core areas in the 2022 financial year , both with regard to motorcycles and ( e- ) bicycles , expecting revenue growth of between 6 % and 10 % ( 2021 financial year : approx . € 2,041.7m ) with an EBIT margin of 8 % to 10 % and an EBITDA margin between 15 % and 17 %."
10 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022