| Author | Message | ||
     Husky |
Thread from Motorcycle Daily www.motorcycledaily.com/06june08_hdandmv.htm Husky (edited to fix link - FB) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on June 07, 2008) | ||
| Sailrmon |
Funny that there are no comments over here. This is really getting a LOT of reaction ove at MVAgusta.net! | ||
| Bwesky |
i thnk thtll be cool. cant wait to see of they change anything, including prices haha | ||
| Fireboltwillie |
well, is it possible that mv needs deeper pockers to go after ducati in moto gp? and can any of their technology be used in harley/buell in the future? | ||
| Strato9r |
Wow, that would certainly deepen the technology pool in Wisconsin, but does that mean that MVs would be sold in H-D dealerships, alongside Buells? | ||
| Fireboltwillie |
i think that it would finally get buells into other dealerships. and they need to sold and compared alongside some of the great brands. when daimler bought chrysler, the quality of chrysler autos went up (not everyone believes this, but when i climb into my durango, i can see and feel it). mv's attention to detail may be something that rubs off on the motor company. | ||
| Bevmiller |
THIS IS REALLY BIG. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE "DRESSER GUYS" I KNOW STANDING NEXT TO AN F4 TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. | ||
| Thespive |
Actually the quality of Chrysler went down as Daimler gutted R&D funds, leaving the Chrysler design teams with meager budgets. One touch of the interior materials confirms this to the average Joe, while my friends at Chrysler finally have the tools post-Daimler to fix what they took from the Pentastar. One look at the quality of the new Ram will confirm that. --Sean | ||
| Fireboltwillie |
i guess i was blinded by the HEMI badge | ||
| Spank |
Quality went down? I guess you never driven or owned a pre-daimler vehicle. | ||
| 007blast |
here is the story!! MILWAUKEE, Jul 11, 2008 (PR Newswire Europe via COMTEX) ----Italian Company Known for Premium, High-Performance Motorcycles Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG: 32.86, -0.84, -2.49%) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta Group (MVAG). Under the agreement, Harley-Davidson will acquire 100 percent of MV Agusta Group shares for total consideration of approximately 70 million euros (US$109 million), which includes the satisfaction of existing bank debt for approximately 45 million euros (US$70 million). In addition, the agreement provides for a contingent payment to Claudio Castiglioni in 2016, if certain financial targets are met. MV Agusta Group is privately held, with the Castiglioni family owning 95 percent of MVAG shares. The acquisition is expected to close in several weeks, pending the satisfaction of contingencies and receipt of regulatory approvals. Harley-Davidson intends to fund the transaction primarily through euro-denominated debt. MV Agusta Group has two families of motorcycles: a line of exclusive, premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand; and a line of lightweight motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. MV Agusta's F4-R motorcycle, powered by a 1078cc in-line four-cylinder liquid cooled engine, is rated at 190 hp. The company sells its products through about 500 dealers worldwide, the vast majority of them in Europe. In 2007, MVAG shipped 5,819 motorcycles. During 2008 MVAG has significantly slowed production due to financial difficulties. "Motorcycles are the heart, soul and passion of Harley-Davidson, Buell and MV Agusta," said Harley-Davidson, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jim Ziemer. "Both have great products and close connections with incredibly devoted customers. The MV Agusta and Cagiva brands are well-known and highly regarded in Europe. They are synonymous with beautiful, premium, Italian performance motorcycles," Ziemer said. Harley-Davidson, Inc. plans to continue to operate MV Agusta Group from its headquarters based in Varese, Italy. Following closing, the first priority will be to appoint a leadership team to include a new Managing Director and to resume the manufacture of current models. Current MV Agusta Group Chairman Claudio Castiglioni will continue in a leadership role as Chairman and will play a major role in future product development. Design Chief Massimo Tamburini will continue his leadership of MV Agusta Group's world leading sport-bike design studio. "We take enormous pride in MV Agusta and Cagiva motorcycles," said Castiglioni. "Our riders seek an uncompromising experience in premium performance motorcycles. And with Harley-Davidson's deep understanding of the emotional as well as the business side of motorcycling, I have great confidence that our motorcycles will excite customers for generations to come." According to Ziemer, the acquisition is intended primarily to expand Harley-Davidson, Inc's presence and footprint in Europe, complementing the Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycle families. Retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles have grown at a double-digit rate in Europe in each of the last three years, as the Company has increased its strategic focus on global markets. "The acquisition of MV Agusta Group will enhance Harley-Davidson, Inc's position as a global leader in fulfilling customer dreams and providing extraordinary customer experiences. We look forward to a long relationship with the MV Agusta and Cagiva families of customers and employees," said Ziemer. Conference Call Harley-Davidson, Inc. will hold a webcast conference call regarding the acquisition from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. (central time) today, July 11, with Tom Bergmann, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Harley-Davidson, Inc. To access the webcast, please log on and register at least ten minutes prior to the start time at http://www.harley-davidson.com, under the Investor Relations section. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same location approximately two hours after the call concludes. Company Background Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), Buell Motorcycle Company (Buell) and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services. HDMC manufactures five families of motorcycles: Touring, Dyna(R: 66.44, -2.01, -2.93%), Softail (R: 66.44, -2.01, -2.93%), Sportster (R: 66.44, -2.01, -2.93%) and VRSC(TM: 90.11, -2.49, -2.68%). Buell produces premium sport performance motorcycles and offers a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, and apparel. HDFS provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs primarily to Harley-Davidson and Buell dealers and customers. Forward-Looking Statements Harley-Davidson, Inc. intends that certain matters discussed in this release are "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words such as Harley "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," or "estimates" or words of similar meaning. Similarly, statements that describe future plans, objectives, outlooks, targets, guidance or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of this release. Certain risks and uncertainties are described below. Shareholders, potential investors, and other readers are urged to consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are only made as of the date of this release, and Harley-Davidson, Inc. disclaims any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Although Harley-Davidson and MV Agusta Group have signed a definitive purchase agreement, there is no assurance that all of the contingencies will be satisfied or that the governmental approvals will be obtained in a timely manner or at all. The proposed acquisition may not occur if the conditions to completing the transaction are not satisfied in a timely manner. In addition, Harley-Davidson intends to finance a portion of the consideration by borrowing funds and its level of indebtedness may increase as a result, which may cause Harley-Davidson to incur additional interest expense and limit Harley-Davidson's ability to obtain additional financing. It could also increase Harley-Davidson's exposure to general adverse economic and industry conditions and adversely impact Harley-Davidson, Inc.'s earnings per share. Furthermore, Harley-Davidson may have challenges successfully integrating or profitably operating the business of MV Agusta Group. Web site: http://www.harley-davidson.com | ||
| Saint |
So....what happens to Buell in all this?  | ||
| Xnoahx |
They sell more bikes because they are half the price of MV | ||
| Thespive |
Craaaazy... Does it seem like a good fit? --Sean | ||
| Jdw3343 |
How about Harley selling dealerships based only on Buells and MV and maybe one of japanese lines to help with bottom line and dirt bikes. No longer having to be a Harley Davidson dealership. Just imagine a dealership with a parts inventory. And sales guys who actually like and appreciate performance bikes. | ||
| Naustin |
Will the engines be cross pollinated between buell and MV? I like the idea of MV/Buell combination stores... | ||
| Diablo1 |
If I were HD, the first order of business would be to send over one of the Italian designers to fix the looks of all the Buells. | ||
| Naustin |
 | ||
| Ezblast |
lol | ||
| Chessm |
id love to know what erik buell thinks of this...or if he knew about this coming. | ||
| 4cammer |
"If I were HD, the first order of business would be to send over one of the Italian designers to fix the looks of all the Buells." No thanks. My XB9R looks just fine. Buell has a look all its own..... | ||
| Steveford |
Harley and MV? Talk about odd bedfellows. Kind of like Harley and Aermacchi? (Message edited by SteveFord on July 12, 2008) | ||
| Jima4media |
In a quirky twist of fate, Harley is buying back the factory that it sold to Cagiva back in 1978. What goes around comes around, I guess. | ||
| Puddlepirate |
I would've rather they bought Ducati. | ||
| Dragbarsnmopars |
HD buying an Italian motorcycle company, I think we've heard that one before(Aeramacchi). At least they got a Daytona win out of it. Instead of dumping a ton of cash into a foreign company they should invest more into Buell and their R&D. In Lee Iacocca's last book, he was against the Diamler/Chrysler merger. Nothing really gained out of the deal and now Chrysler is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy again. It's a slap in the face to Buell, who has stuck by Harley and now they want to throw out the welcome mat for MV? Most HD dealerships treat Buell like a red headed stepchild. What makes them think an overpriced Italian sportbike is going to do on the salesfloor? What about parts/service?How many techs will they have to pay to train for this. Look at the VR1000. MV's are pretty much race bikes. I don't think HD wants to lose money on another failed racing attempt. Please, Mr. Davidson, do not buy MV Agusta. Save your money and invest in a true American homegrown company that builds sportbikes-Buell! | ||
| Road_oiler |
I attended the Museum preview for the media on friday the 11th. I sat next to a guy from bloomberg financial, who told me that Triumph had approached H-D at one point, that H-d looked at Ducatti, and that they ARE looking at picking up Enfield for access to the Indian Market. I happen to run into Geoff Bluestein (sorry Geoff at my bad spelling) and talked about a few things but also the MV/Agusta acquistion. He said that they liked MV as their customers were passionate, the bikes were low volume and high end, and it would give H-D a toe hold in the European market. He was really excited about the buy. He also said that the MV facility is in the SAME building as Aermacchi was when they owned it. Is that Karma? I would not be surprised if H-D picked up someone else, too. The new Musuem is really great!! my 2 cents | ||
| Ma1 |
MV has just over 500 dealerships world wide. Mostly in Europe. Thats 500 dealerships that would make instant sense to put Buells in, as a lower priced compliment to MV, with Cagiva providing dirt bikes. This is probably the best thing that has happened for Buell in quite some time. | ||
| Buell2001b |
Look at th bright side of this, MV already has proven that they can build good engines. Buell is a new to winning in the AMA. Anything that Buell could gain from MV to make the Buells a more competevive against Ducati would be awsome. as seen in GP its been proven that a small comapny can whip the the 4 giant japps. I am all for making Buell a true GP racing bike. AMA is a joke, look at ben Spies the embaracing results he posted against the True reacers. | ||
| Diablo1 |
It will be very interesting to see what HD will do with Buell and MV. There are plenty of multi-brand MV dealerships around the world. Will they try to stick HDs or Buells in those shops alongside MV? Or will they tell MV dealers that they have to get rid of the non-HD brands? This could be sticky. I would bet most of those dealers don't have the building, floor space, and needed $ to meet HD's requirements. Selling just one MV and two Buells per month isn't going to keep any of those dealers in business. They need other brands in order to pay the electric bill. | ||
| Buell920 |
so if they own a production plant in another county, can they expand it to say produce more H-D models? could this be the start of a more global focuse and reduction of USA produced bike to allow the market to stabilize in america( market for new and used H-D motorcycles)? I cant see H-D ramping up there production and shoving them into a Buell/MV store. AMF did it to them and they know how that worked out. |
