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A rescue attempt to save the Swedish electric two-wheel motorcycle business CAKE has failed . Widely regarded as one of the better of the recent crop of electric PTW start-ups , and headed up by noted industrial designer Stefan Ytterborn , CAKE had struggled to attract new capital in advance of a larger rights issue later this year . Swedish news outlet ZAG Daily quoted Ytterborn as saying that " it is not one but several circumstances that make us end up in this situation . Climate issues are no longer in focus ; we are in a recession . It ' s about us , but it ' s also about the risk capital ecosystem . At the moment , it ' s completely dead , there are no takers in the later phase that CAKE is in ." Founded in 2016 , the company had secured a global presence with stores in Los Angeles , New York , Paris , Seoul , Tokyo and Stockholm , but officially filed for bankruptcy in February . Ytterborn " also acknowledged that the company would not be cash-flow positive until it saw an annual figure of 7,500-10,000 sales . It has so far sold approximately 6,000 , releasing five adult models and one child ' s bicycle so far ". Some 140 employees at CAKE are affected . CAKE had raised $ 74.4m in funding in the past , but had been unable to secure the further $ 7.6m it needed in order to fund ongoing operations .
The final motorcycle tyre was produced at Avon ' s historic Melksham , UK facility in December - after 112 years of tyre production on the site . Avon was acquired by the American Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in 1997 and was itself subsequently bought out by Goodyear in 2023 . In 2002 , Cooper had announced that it would close the Melksham facility , leaving the remaining 350 employees facing redundancy . In December 2023 , the final tyre finished at a facility that had once employed thousands in its ' heyday ' was for a 1950s vintage motorcycle .
All change for annual INTERMOT Cologne , December 5-8 , 2024
Stung by the impact that EICMA has had on it ( especially since ANCMA ' s decision to make EICMA an annual show some 20 years ago ) and faced with a lingering decline in exhibitor reputation that pre-dates Covid , INTERMOT has finally embraced the inevitable and announced that it is to be held annually from 2024 , on a new , later date ( December 5-8 ) but still at
Koelnmesse ( Cologne ), Germany . Described as being " perfectly timed for getting a new season of biking off to a great start in the following spring " the organisers have clearly wanted to make sure that the expo still falls within the motorcycle trade and dealer marketing cycle and ' selling-in ' season , and are pointing to being able to capitalise on the fact that , having been unveiled a month earlier at Milan , INTERMOT will be able to restore the consumer appeal of hosting the upcoming new season ' s new motorcycle models . " All the new models [ will be ] on
display at INTERMOT - it ’ s a chance to not only see them , but also to actually touch and experience them in person . At INTERMOT , the teams of motorbike and scooter manufacturers and importers will be on hand to offer advice and help everyone find their dream bike and , of course , the right accessories for both rider and vehicle ". The increasing preference for OE manufacturers to delay the timing of new model launches by a month , for EICMA rather than Cologne , had become a major issue with visitors and for the exhibitor community and , therefore , for the show organisers . That said , the effect that the 2020 pandemic had on permanently driving most new model introductions online has changed that once traditional ' hook ' for all shows , forever . Show organiser Koelnmesse went on to say that it and the event ’ s conceptual sponsor , the German Motorcycle Industry Association ( IVM e . V .), " aim to offer trade visitors and end consumers all the information they need , as well as a completely new way to enjoy the run-up to Christmas and the shopping that goes with it . Of course , there will also be an event programme geared to the season . " Even before registration officially opens , the four-day event ’ s new concept has already won over major market players such as BMW Motorrad Germany , Kawasaki Motors Europe N . V . and Yamaha Motor Europe N . V ., who have already announced that they ’ ll be participating ". More news about the new concept , the programme and the visitor experience will be announced throughout the year . www . intermot-cologne . com