International Dealer News 171 Feb/Mar 2023 IDN171 Feb/Mar 2023 | Page 14

THE BRADLEY REPORT
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THE BRADLEY REPORT

NEWS

BRIEFS

Akrapovic has announced a new technical partnership with Honda Racing Corporation that will see the Repsol Honda Team equipped with Akrapovic exhausts in the MotoGP World Championship starting in 2023 .
Yamaha is launching Ténéré Spirit Experience for 2023 - " The ultimate Rally Raid adventure for every Ténéré owner ! Owners can join some of the world ' s most famous Rally Raid events , with the official Yamaha World Raid Team . A total of 20 Yamaha customers and their motorcycles will be transported to their chosen Rally Raid where they will follow both the actual route and a parallel route to the race competitors and live alongside the race team in the bivouac each evening . Participants will receive a total 360-degree package .
Husqvarna Motorcycles ' partnership with Boise , Idaho clutch specialist Rekluse is set to continue through the 2023 racing season .
BMW has named Namibia as the host nation for its 22-team GS Trophy in 2024 . There will be 15 national qualifying rounds , and the first international qualifying round for an international team is slated for 2023 BMW Motorrad Days at Berlin , July 7- 9 , 2023 . This will be the 9th GS Trophy ; 2022 was staged in Albania .
Akrapovic has expanded its cooperation with GasGas Factory Racing for the forthcoming FIM X- Trial World Championship and FIM TrialGP World Championship this season . They are to produce a new exhaust system for GasGas ' factory race bikes - one with a " thick titanium header that delivers impressive performance gains allied to a 40 % weight saving ". This new trial header is already featuring on GasGas ' TXT GP 300 machines in this season ' s world championships . GasGas Factory Racing already uses Akrapovic exhaust technology in the FIM Motocross World Championship , FIM SuperEnduro , FIM Hard Enduro , FIM EnduroGP World Championships , and FIM World Rally-Raid Championship .
KTM has announced that its 2023 Adventure Rally ( 24-28 of July ) will be staged in Norway .

Mahindra sells controlling stake in Peugeot Motocycles

Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd . ( M & M ) has sold a 50 % equity share and a controlling 80 % stake in its Peugeot Motocycles subsidiary to private equity investor Mutares SE & Co . KGaA - a Germanybased holding company . Mutares ' usual business model is to " acquire medium-sized companies in turnaround situations in order to sell them off again if restructuring succeeds ". M & M remains a co-shareholder " to support new product launches and the strong growth expected in the coming years ". As of 10 November 2022 ( during EICMA !), Mutares had submitted an irrevocable binding offer with the transaction expected to close in the first quarter of 2023 after union consultations and antitrust approval . Headquartered in Mandeure , France ( near the Swiss border ), Peugeot Motocycles generates revenues of approximately € 140m , manufacturing two and three-wheeler scooters for " distribution through 3 , 000 subsidiaries , importers and dealers in France and internationally , across three continents ". Rajesh Jejurikar , Executive Director , Auto & Farm Sectors at M & M , said : " We are delighted to welcome Mutares to Peugeot Motocycles . Our efforts are directed towards sustaining this French legacy brand that has been delighting customers for 124 years . With an established track record of transforming companies across Europe , coupled with its expertise in the automotive business , Mutares is an ideal partner to strengthen and grow the brand with continuing support from M & M ." Johannes Laumann , CIO of Mutares , stated : " This is Mutares ' thirteenth acquisition in 2022 . Peugeot Motocycles is an internationally recognised brand built on a rich history as the world ' s oldest manufacturer of motorised two-wheelers . We are very proud to be associated with the brand . Based on our vast experience in the industry and a strong operational team , I strongly believe that we will be able to leverage the true potential of the company alongside our partner M & M ." Peugeot Motocycles , which recently updated its corporate identity with a new logo and style palette , has its own manufacturing facility in Mandeure , a joint venture with JNQQ ( Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co ., Ltd .) in China , as well as manufacturing partnerships with
" Representing the final part of a two-stage transformation , three years after the return of the ' Peugeot Motocycles ' name , the new logo marks a new stage in the development of the brand . It is also a clear sign of ambition : the Peugeot brand is now ready to conquer new markets and accelerate the growth of its international business ".
several large Asian players including Peugeot car distributor Truong Hai Auto Corporation ( THACO ) of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam . THACO invested in the construction of an ultra-modern motorised twowheeler assembly line at its factory in Chu Lai in 2020 . It is the exclusive distributor for Peugeot Motocycles in the ten ASEAN countries ( the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ). In additional corporate news at EICMA , M & M announced that Peugeot Motocycles is to manage the European sales of the new BSA Gold Star 650 from Mahindra " with immediate effect ". BSA was founded in 1910 and at one stage was the world ' s largest manufacturer , and ultimately was bought by Triumph , seeing out its days
" The new Gold Star is a 652 cc water-cooled singlecylinder , making 45 hp at 6,000 rpm - to fit into the A2 licence category ". as part of the infamous Meriden , Coventry ( England ) based Norton Villiers Triumph cooperative . Mahindra bought the BSA brand in 2016 for around € 5m - bringing together various brand name and intellectual rights ownerships for the first time since the original BSA went out of production in the 1970s . Mahindra has established a technical centre at Coventry to develop electric BSA models , but is initially assembling ICE comebacks , starting with the Gold Star 650 at Banbury , England , and in India . The decision to effectively offload the financial heavy lifting that Peugeot Motocyles needs is thought to have been prompted by the long-term potential that M & M sees in focusing its capital resources primarily on the BSA brand .
14 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - FEBRUARY / MARCH 2023 www . idnmag . com