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Ex-Apple and Tesla exec George Blankenship has joined top-end Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer Verge as Chief Revenue Officer , responsible for " developing Verge Motorcycles ' customer interface and customer journey , as well as its global store strategy ".
Chinese giant CFMoto has staged a grand opening of its new 100,000 sq ft facility at Plymouth , Minnesota . It will house up to 120 employees and contractors and comes just four months after the opening of its massive new North American ATV / UTV manufacturing facility at Monterrey , Mexico . CFMoto is # 1 ATV / UTV market share in 26 countries worldwide and , presently , the U . S . market accounts for some 40 % of its $ 1.6bn annual sales in the sector .
Having been announced as bankrupt last year , Swedish electric Roadster manufacturer RGNT Motorcycles is back in business . After an absence of some 18 months , media outlet ' The Pack ' reports that 2019 founder Jonathan Åström has successfully taken back control , along with head of sales and marketing Gideon Schipaanboord and design chief / CTO Alexander Lewandowski . Their new company - RGNT Reborn - has acquired the intellectual property , tooling and remaining bikes and parts and will share its R & D capacity with another business . " The trio is now leading the relaunch of the company in a streamlined format , with only a small core team ." It is hoped that stripped-down costs and selling of the current inventory will help them to keep their existing pan- European dealer and service network fully intact and , ultimately , further expanded pending the launch of a ' new gen ' V 3.0 model in Q3 .
Harley-Davidson has started to divest itself of its EV investments with the sale of its 2020 launched Serial 1 Cycle Company , LLC , E-Bike company to Florida-based lightweight electric vehicle specialist LEV Manufacturing ( formerly known as Life Electric Vehicles , Inc .) and mobility-focused investor Lane VC . Ironically , the acquisition will see Serial 1 ' s production moved back to the U . S . from Taiwan . Harley had offshored the bulk of Serial 1 production as it grappled with domestic U . S . labour and H-D overhead costs in a market segment that simply is not performing anything like as well as expected , as evidenced by KTM Group owner Stefan Pierer ' s decision to dump several hundred euro of investment and operational costs in order to exit that " space " as quickly as he could in the second half of 2023 .
Japan - Honda opens remodelled Collection Hall
Honda Motor Co ., Ltd . has announced that the Honda Collection Hall , the brand ' s curated museum at the Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi , Japan , has reopened after undergoing a thorough renovation . The collection is arranged by era , " enabling visitors to experience the stories of dreams and challenges Honda has told across its history and allowing them to understand the unique characteristics of each period since the company ' s founding in 1948 . " A full-scale mock-up model of the HondaJet Elite II greets visitors in the entrance hall with the opportunity to explore the interior of the light business jet . Further immersive opportunities are dotted throughout the museum , with the latest personal mobility concept , UNI-ONE , available for visitors to test ride . Elsewhere , a new , downloadable ' storytelling ' audio tour has been created , to help share stories of dreams and challenges , while detailed guided tours by knowledgeable museum staff are also available ". Honda first opened the Collection Hall in March 1998 in commemoration of the company ' s 50th anniversary and to convey the origin of the company to its customers - with last year marking
25 years of the facility itself . In addition to the permanent exhibits , three times a year , under the title of ' Garage Collection ', additional collections will be brought out from storage and exhibited . To commemorate the reopening , a special exhibit titled ' CB History-Part
Rolf Verhagen joins AFAM Group as new GM
AFAM has appointed Rolf Verhagen as its new General Manager . With a rich background in the motorcycle industry , Rolf brings an additional dimension of expertise to the AFAM organisation . Commenting on Rolf ' s appointment , PDG CEO Bryan Smaal said : " Rolf Verhagen ' s experience spanning over two decades in the motorcycle industry has equipped him with a deep
understanding of its complexities and potential . His contribution to wellknown companies in motorcycle hard parts and oils & lubricants is well recognised , and forms the basis of his extended network within the industry . " Throughout his career , Rolf Verhagen has played a key role in the search for innovative solutions , driving growth and fostering partnerships across the motorcycle landscape . His dedication to excellence and commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible perfectly align with AFAM GROUP ' s mission for continuous improvement and best customer satisfaction ." Rolf stated : " I ' m excited to join AFAM GROUP and lead it into a new era of growth and innovation . Together , we ' ll build on the company ' s strong foundation and strive for excellence in serving our customers ." www . afam-group . com
1 ' is showcasing the CB series motorcycles and will run to the end of June . This will be replaced by a feature exhibit of race replicas entitled ' NSR250R : The Pedigree of Works Racers ' that documents the motorcycle racer replica boom that began in the 1980s and puts a spotlight on models with a two-stroke engine . The entire collection of NS and NSR series models owned by the Honda Collection Hall will be on display . Finally , in October a special feature will celebrate 50 years of the Gold Wing motorcycle , the 25th anniversary of the open-top S2000 sports car , and a further featured exhibit of open-top models .
14 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - MAY / JUNE 2024 www . idnmag . com