BMW buys Husqvarna

[goodtimes]

Found on another site....not sure of the source.

*******************************************

09:36 20Jul07

Edited Press Release

FRANKFURT -BMW Motorrad, a unit of BMW AG (BMW.XE), is to acquire
Husqvarna Motorcycles (HUSQ-B.SK), BMW said Friday.
Herbert Diess, General Director of BMW Motorrad, and the Italian
industrialist Claudio Castiglioni Friday signed a contract in Italy.
The contractual agreement will come into full effect upon final approval of
the E.U. cartel authorities.
Both parties agreed that the purchase price was to remain confidential.
For BMW Motorrad the acquisition of Husqvarna Motorcycles is a logical step
in enhancing the company's activities in the field of light, sporty motorcycles,
which has recently been reinforced with the new models of the BMW G 650 X series.
Commenting on BMW's decision to acquire Husqvarna Motorcycles, Diess, General
Director of BMW Motorrad, stated: "With the Husqvana models targeted at the
sporty competition, we will be able to extend the BMW Motorrad range to include
younger groups of customers as well as the entire off-road and supermoto sector
much more quickly and effectively than with our core brand alone. This
transaction also provides us with direct access to a worldwide sales network in
the off-road segment."
BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a separate
enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the
current workforce, will remain in place at its present location in the region of
Varese in northern Italy. Just as BMW Motorrad, Husqvarna Motorcycles is steeped
in tradition and one of the most renowned motorcycle companies in the world.
Motorcycles were initially produced in Sweden from 1903 and in Italy from
1986. Friday the company is one of the leading suppliers of sporty off-road
motorcycles. In the course of its history, Husqvarna Motorcycles has achieved
numerous international racing victories including European and World Championship
titles.

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Very Interesting!

I've always loved Husqvarna!

In 1972......my Dad had the Husqvarna sewing machine distributorship for the Pacific.

We won a free trip to Europe because of fantastic sales and got to visit the Husky plant.

Wow!......a trip of a lifetime.

After all the tours of the plants, they bussed our group out to the best dirt bike track in all of Europe....which just happened to be the Husqvarna test track!

Husky brought out several bikes for our group to try out on the track. As we are bussing out.....the rain begins to POUR! By the time we get to the track.....it's so muddy, that anyone who rode a dirt bike would be covered in it!

Being that our hotel was way too far away.....and there was a special Factory dinner that night in a castle.....I elected not to ride.

I still have the Hunting knife Husqvarna gave me at the Castle Dinner! Nobody else got this knife! I was just 17 years old.......and they knew what this kid wanted!

Dang it! A chance of a lifteime!

And for you guys that would not know........even way back then....Huskies were KEWL!

[bovw]

Cool story! BMW buying anything can't really be bad can it?

[Kermit]

Cool story! BMW buying anything can't really be bad can it?

Famous last words....

[goodtimes]

Well, it all depends. If BMW uses Husky (and all of its resources) to improve the product line offered by BMW (offer a wider range of products), then they will (IMO) be on a good path. On the other hand, if they are only trying to buy market share, and end up forcing BMW engineering and practices down Husky's throat, then you can stick a fork in Husky....they are done.

[Kermit]

How many times has Husky been bought and sold over the years?

[goodtimes]

don't know....

[Kermit]

I posted the question up on KTM Talk..we will see.


I know for one thing when it sold to a company in Italy, some of the engineers stayed in Sweden, and formed Husaberg, where KTM "borrowed" their four stroke technology. Now a holding company owns both KTM and Husaberg. Husaberg moved from Sweden to be built in the factory as the KTM's in Austria. The 'Bergs sure are nice. One of the, if not the first light weight modern four stroke dirt bikes.

http://www.husaberg.se/

[Speaker]

Too bad about Husky. If they turn into BMW's 450 enduros, that'll be a bummer. Huskys are already already kind of pigs, BMW 450s are worse. I just got a Husaberg recently, love it