Late last year, MV Agusta was acquired by KTM. The Austrian manufacturer already had a sizable stake in the company, and purchased a controlling interest so it could bring it under the same roof as KTM, GasGas, and Husqvarna.
Then the company imploded a month later.
Flash-forward to just nine months after KTM purchased the controlling stake, and MV Agusta was resold back to its original owners. It was no short of a whirlwind year for the Italian brand. Things, however, have been quiet since its sale. That is until now, as the brand stated that it'd be leaving its famous Centro Ricerche Castiglioni design center, named after the family who rebirthed the company, in favor of pulling those services in-house to its Varese-based manufacturing facility.
But we can't seem to figure out whether this is a positive sign or a bad omen for the legacy motorcycle manufacturer.
At the start of the year, and after the sale, MV Agusta stated "After a successful year for MV Agusta, the financial situation recently unfolded at PIERER Mobility AG could have significantly impacted the Schiranna brand’s operations. This strategic agreement ensures that MV Agusta remains completely uninvolved in KTM’s ongoing financial restructuring process, allowing the company to continue its positive growth path. Over the past 18 months, MV Agusta has strengthened its financial stability under a fully revitalised management team."
That mean motorcycle sales growth of 116% year-over-year for the brand, as well as higher parts sales, too.
"The company has everything in place to continue its positive expansion and to keep delivering on its commitments," it added, with "MV Agusta’s operations remain fully independent, with Varese proudly continuing to serve as the central hub for all key activities, including product development, production, sales, marketing, and after-sales services. The development of next generation of motorcycles is progressing as planned, paving the way for a renewed, innovative, exclusive range and as always focused on celebrating its famous claim ‘Motorcycle Art’."
So from that, it seems like the company is on good financial footing. Which would put a damper on the doom and gloom we've seen at other publications talking about the design center's move. Indeed, MV Agusta loses the history that the Centro Ricerche Castiglioni had—it's where most of MV Agusta's most beautiful bikes were penned. But the company isn't dead. Nor does it seem as if anyone is getting laid off. Rather, the brand seems to be moving the design center closer to the manufacturing center, i.e. Varese.
That isn't necessarily a bad thing, apart from the historical significance of Centro Ricerche Castiglioni. I've reached out to MV Agusta and will update this story if and when I hear back. But, again, MV Agusta isn't dead. Unlike KTM...
