International Dealer News IDN 122 Dec/Jan 2014/15 | Page 15

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KTM sales up as Freeride
E enters production
KTM say that the first nine months of 2014 saw the
company sell 115,731 KTM and Husqvarna brand
motorcycles, the highest ever achieved by the
Austrian manufacturer for the period.
The company says that the "successful launch of
the new 1290 SuperDuke and the start of sales of
the new Husqvarna model range were crucial for the
success" and that KTM achieved an 8.4% share of
the European market for the period concerned.
Profits are said to have increased by 34% to
€
61.3m, with net margin increased to 9.5% from the
8.5% recorded for the year-ago period. The
company, which is 48% owned by India's giant Baja
Auto, says it expects to have seen further increases
in sales and revenue performance once their full
2014 financial year is concluded.
In September the company underlined its
continued commitment to new product

developments with the securing of a six year R&D
loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The focus of research that the loan will fund will
be road safety, fuel consumption, lightweight
construction and electric mobility projects.
In which connection, KTM has now put its Freeride
E into volume production with selected dealers in the
first markets to be targeted for the bike, undergoing
high voltage training in advance of dealer deliveries
- scheduled in the early part of 2015.
Weighing 110 kg and delivering 11 kW of
continuous power, the ESM and ESX comply with the
restrictions of the A1 driving licence, so 16 year olds
can use it on public roads.
www.ktmfreeride-e.com

The Freeride E-SM is
a "dedicated
sportmotorcycle,
powered by
electricity, for urban
areas that complies
with the restrictions
of the A1 licence so
16 year olds can ride
it on public roads"

Mahindra to buy 51%
stake in Peugeot Scooters
THE $16.5Bn turnover Mumbai, India based
Mahindra group is buying a 51 percent
controlling stake in French vehicle maker
PSA Group's Peugeot Scooters subsidiary.
The owner of Peugeot and Citroen cars is
believed to have been seeking union
approval in France of a recovery plan as
part of the group's "Back in the Race"
strategic plan to get the vehicle maker on
to a "road map to an accelerated recovery".
Mahindra Two Wheelers, a subsidiary of the
Mahindra group, first entered the scooter
business in 2008 through acquisition of
Kinetic Motor, and sees the deal as a way of
gaining access to European technology to
boost a division that has been loss-making
for some time, with production down by
half to 10,787 units from 22,546 in the year
ago period.
Mahindra has stated that a "robust
portfolio in scooters" would be critical to
its overall two wheeler strategy. With the
Peugeot deal, Mahindra will get the
research and development capabilities that
it lacks and a strong European footprint.
Mahindra will acquire their 51 percent
majority stake in return for a €
15m cash
injection, and a €
13m share purchase,

making the deal for half of a company that
generated revenues of €
99m last year
worth €
28m in total.
Described as the "oldest motorised twowheeler manufacturer in the world", and "a
key player in urban mobility in Europe for
116 years", Peugeot produced some 79,000
scooters in 2013.
Peugeot claims that the investment will
help fund new models and secure the future
of its plant at Mandeure, France, where it
employs 500 people, and its facility in Jinan,
China, a joint venture with Qinji, where it
has a further 300 employees.
Down the years, Peugeot has racked up
many notable scooter technology firsts, and
is not entirely new to involvement in the
Indian market - the mid 1980s saw it
collaborate with Shree Chamundi Mopeds.
Mahindra Executive Director Pawan Goenka
is quoted as telling a press conference that
"Mahindra will