Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com , Cycle World , motorbikewriter . com news ROOM
NEWS
BRIEFS
Barcelona based brakes manufacturer Galfer has appointed Guillermo Font as its new Global Marketing Director . " With an outstanding 20-year track record in marketing and in-depth market knowledge , Guillermo Font joins our team with the mission of taking Galfer to the next level , consolidating and expanding the legacy of excellence that has characterised the company for decades ".
The IMF reports that global public debt is forecast to exceed $ 100tn by the end of 2024 . IMF reports that the major economies ' plans to stabilise borrowing will " fall far short of what is needed " - leaving advanced and emerging economies perilously exposed to the risks of global economic collapse .
Following the news that American owned , Italian electric sportbike manufacturer Energica has gone ( see story elsewhere in this edition of IDN ), another high-profile e-bike brand has gone into bankruptcy . New York based Fuell Motorcycles has now joined the ever-growing list of electric PTW start-ups that are not , in fact , going the start up anymore . Fuell was the brand backed by former sportbike and H-D man Erik Buell .
Oxford Product ' s export director , Chris Shearer , is celebrating 30 years as its ' Export Meister '. When he joined Oxford in 1994 , he had been based in Germany as a Bandmaster with the British Army . From his office in Germany , Chris and his team of four oversee a global network of some 75 countries .
The Federal Motor Transport Authority in Germany ( KBA ) reported a total of 16,331 new motorcycle registrations in Germany in September - that is -3.9 % on September 2023 . The total for the first three quarters of 2024 is recorded at 187,041 units , -5.7 % on the same period of 2023 .
Brembo announces acquisition of Öhlins Suspension
Leading Sweden based powersports industry suspension specialist Öhlins has been acquired by Brembo in a first major strategic buy into an ' adjacent ' business sector for the Bergamo , Italy based global brakes products manufacturer and brand owner . The deal is primarily being touted by Brembo as an automotive market play , with the October 11 announcement saying that with this acquisition " Brembo expands its offerings for the automotive market ". Brembo stated that " this deal marks the largest acquisition in Brembo ' s history and further strengthens the Group ' s brand portfolio . Öhlins has a strong racing heritage and presence in major championships as a renowned supplier for MotoGP , Formula 1 , Superbike , NASCAR and others ". The deal ( for a 100 % stake in Öhlins Racing ) was with U . S . conglomerate Tenneco , which only acquired Öhlins in late 2018 from founder Kenth Öhlin some months after Tenneco ' s $ 5.4bn acquisition of Ferodo brake pads owner Federal Mogul earlier that year . Tenneco folded Öhlins into ' Driv ' - a then newly formed division with Ferodo and other brands . In turn , Tenneco ( described as a " portfolio company of funds ") is managed by " affiliates " of New York based ' alternate ' asset manager Apollo Global Management , Inc . Tenneco is also the owner of Monroe Shocks and former owner of Italian suspension manufacturer Marzocchi . Matteo Tiraboschi , Brembo Executive Chairman , said : " Öhlins is a strong fit for Brembo . It is a world-renowned brand , with a solid business and an unrivalled reputation - both on the racetrack and the road . " We welcome Öhlins to our Group as a great opportunity to expand our
offerings for the automotive market . With this addition , we take another step forward in our strategy to provide integrated intelligent solutions to our customers , leveraging synergies across key technologies in the vehicle ' s corner ." Founded by Kenth Öhlin in Upplands Väsby ( Stockholm ) in 1976 , Öhlins Racing has a strong international
footprint . It employs approximately 500 people across two production facilities and R & D centres located in Sweden and Thailand and four distribution and testing branches in the U . S ., Germany , Thailand and Sweden . Founded in 1961 in Italy , Brembo cites over 600 motorsport championship title wins in its history , presently employing 16,000 people across 15 countries , 32 production and business sites and nine R & D centres . The company ' s turnover was € 3,849m in 2023 . The two-wheeler business is said to be worth approximately 13 % of total Brembo revenues .
www . brembo . com www . ohlins . com