KTM/Husqvarna... now how will this play out?

Can you post the link to this source of information, this has different wording than the version I have read.

Below is the translated version.

More words from Pierer

(quick web translation)
Nieuwsmotor.nl personally spoke with Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM / Husaberg and recently owner of Husqvarna Motorcycles. In a telephone interview, he explains why he took over Husqvarna from BMW.

Nieuwsmotor.nl: "Herr Pierer, congratulations on your purchase of Husqvarna. The biggest question that people in the industry now ask is" why "?"
Stefan Pierer: "In the automotive industry for years you see a similar movement of more brands under one roof. The market is considerably decreased, which has become especially important consolidation. To still sell more products, it makes sense to choose more brands, so that in the niches still expanding sales can be found. The same goes for KTM as a huge brand, we are already the global leader in the field of enduro and motocross, so expanding is very difficult. That is why we, like many other large companies in the automotive, want to have multiple brands thereby creating synergy to our cooperation in such areas as development, purchasing and the like. "

Nieuwsmotor.nl: This is obvious, but why exactly Husqvarna? With Husaberg, you already have a similar mark in the house?
Stefan Pierer: "We think that with Husqvarna we can be active in another niche and take more of the market especially from the Japanese brands. We will with this brand's products focus primarily on brands such as Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. We would like the niche brand to go to a sale of 10,000 units per year and then go on from there. For that Husqvarna must go back to his roots, it was much too far astray. The brand has a wonderful history but because of a wrong model policy it was completely on the wrong track. it was in terms of dealer network not ready to sell two cylinders for the street. We will work with Husqvarna go back to its origins. We will therefore soon be back in motocross and then in supermoto, both sports which Husqvarna previously been dominant. Within the next year we will develop an appropriate motorcycle with the specifications and character that belongs to a Husqvarna. "

Nieuwsmotor.nl: How do you integrate Husqvarna within the KTM group?
Stefan Pierer: "It will separate, self-sufficient brands remain in brand perception, models and sales networks, but as I mentioned earlier, there will be behind the scenes a lot of cooperation in the field of R & D, purchasing, components and more things in our back office. We will now go and see wether production for Husqvarna should happen at the current location in Varese in Italy or from Mattighofen in Austria. There's nothing decided on that yet on but certainly we can all take time. Initially I purchased Husqvarna from my private company Pierer Industry, but we can take a decision about that in the future as well. This may change later and possibly get our Indian partner Bajaj then also a role as a link to India. "

Nieuwsmotor.nl: An Austrian newspaper asked you about the price, you had nothing to say but "Der Pierer hat noch nie teuer gekauft" (Pierer has never bought too expensive), BMW has also invested a lot of money in Husqvarna.
Stefan Pierer: "I have paid a reasonable price for both parties. It was easy for BMW to come to us if you want to leave out the offroad market. If you offroad think you'll soon joined us as offroad world leaders , while we're only two hours away from each other. I think that all parties have a great deal. It is now up to us to make something out of it! "

Hell, I know that - I wanted the see the original source!

AKA
Nieuwsmotor:

I don't feel so much lake a traitor anymore

also the nr of likes given in this thread is never seen by me here before.

started off to be a very polarizing thread yet it seems to settle a bit.

I love the passion but at the end of the day its just business.

I want a bike that rides/handles OK

If that means that the KTM (slightly stronger motor) will be put in a husky frame with the right suspension parts its fine with me.

KTM is simply focusing on bigger market share in the total market.

for them to buy a European company with its roots in the same field where they battle in and conveniently its also a brand that is emerging back to the front line of the playing field is simply a logical choice.

they just buy it and set it at their side to approach the real (Japanese) battle.

I would not be surprised if TM is also on their list in a few next years, yet i do think that they have to grow more as a brand and sales nr to be really interesting for them.


Robert-Jan

Oh man I haven't even moved up to a blue/yellow model yet and now we're onto orange????

Okay so here's a weird irony: I've always had an old airhead BMW 'cause they are cool and distinct and run forever without the need for anything. Then I bought a 1st gen Cagiva Ducati because it was the last gasp of old Ducati, even has the elephant emblem on the tank. Then I bought my old WR because it was the last of the Swede's, all twin-shock, air cooled old school stuff. Then for my son an early 2000's SX125 Pumpkin cause its a screamer and solid as a rock and even lugs me around. Turns out I've been acquiring a garage full of misfit cousins!! One nice big interbred, mongoloid family. Poor old mainstream Honda XR in the corner sure feels like the odd-ball now.

I for one think this is GREAT. I would gladly take a rebadged ktm bike over a bmw any day. I just bought a beta 350rr not seeing this coming. After 4 huskys that was not an easy decision. Maybe my next bike can be a e-start 2 stroke and still have a gunsight on it

Even though I said I dont care about Husqagiva, I agree with this. A re-badged KTM is worlds better than a BMW if you are only talking about off road racing bikes.

has anyone posted this yet?
interesting read

http://motocrossactionmag.com/Main/News/MOTOCROSS-ACTIONS-FRIDAY-NEWS-ROUNDUP-NOBODY-RETIR-9737.aspx

I think I can actually make out a K, a T, and an M in that logo...

Now we know what's in Huskys sights! ;-)
Big

Well, everything changes and I hope this one is for the better.

I just wonder if all the Dealers will have to reapply for Dealerships, etc. I am sure that Mr. Pierer has a plan and we will just have to wait and see what it is. But, all in all. I will view this as a Good thing.

Rick

I always thought that to be a niche manufacturer you needed to be really small like Sherco ore Beta, ore have “strange” solutions like Husaberg (Airbox in the petrol tank)