Alan Cathcart’s conversation with Stefan Pierer continues, as the PIERER Mobility president and chief executive officer discusses his motorcycle brands (namely, KTM, Husqvarna and Husqvarna), and some of their competition. This includes MV Agusta, of which PIERER gained a stake in 2022. —ED.
Interview with KTM’s Stefan Pierer – Part 1
Alan Cathcart: Let’s talk about MV Agusta, where last November you purchased 25.1% of the equity from its present owner, Timur Sardarov. What is your future strategy for your involvement in the brand?
Stefan Pierer: As part of that 25.1%, it’s taking the first step of working together very closely on current production models. So we’ll take care of the whole supply chain, we’ll buy all the parts needed for MV Agusta’s production for the coming year, and then, after finalizing that, we’ll take over worldwide distribution of the finished product. This is the first step to help them make their entire operation profitable as a company.
AC: To begin with though, presumably your involvement will not only be MV Agusta’s supply chain and distribution, but also certain product development strategies, such as – should they be making the Lucky Explorer 9.5 and 5.5?
SP: You’re right, nobody needs those, and especially not branded with that name. Adventure bikes are a big market sector, but they’re also the most difficult segment, and the most competitive to be present in. Nobody is waiting for such a model from MV Agusta.
AC: Except, do you think that if you branded such a bike as an MV Agusta, and made it a two wheeled Range Rover, so purely a high performance luxury road bike, would there perhaps be a market for that?
SP: Possibly, but in my opinion, before you enter a new sector with something as radically different as this by MV Agusta standards, first and foremost you have to get those product segments right which the MV Agusta brand really stands for. And there is a lot to do there, believe me.
AC: So what kind of products do you think MV Agusta should be making?
SP: Where MV Agusta’s coming from, it’s high end. I wouldn’t say luxury, but it’s premium high end. I think the Brutale would be a good basis for some very nice developments, but for me, the model that still captures the essence of MV Agusta is the F4. When it first appeared 25 years ago it had so many nice details – it was perfect, and very beautiful. But I would say that style got lost in the last decade, because they had other problems to worry about, and Tamburini was no longer making the bikes, too. But just to give you some new information, our colleague Gerald Kiska is going to set up a subsidiary Kiska Design studio in Varese, within the MV Agusta factory.
AC: That’s very interesting news! But, presumably it’s fundamental that his design studio will be in Varese – do you believe that any new MV Agusta model must be designed in Italy?
SP: That is absolutely correct.
AC: Must MV Agusta have more than just high-end niche models – do you believe they need to have the 800cc three cylinder range in order to be able to generate volume?
SP: Sure, besides the high end we must have premium middleweight models. Their new three-cylinder engine, the 920, 950, it’s a very good engine, but now we have to make it compliant for Euro 5.2, which is a little bit tricky, but yes, it’s clear. What we are also experiencing in the market, is that a lot of the big displacement owners in the high end class are stepping down to smaller capacity models, because they’re getting older, so the weight of the bike, and the rideability, the handling, it all becomes easier. I met several guys who stepped down from a 1290 Super Adventure to a 390 Adventure because of this.