From left: Claudio Castiglioni, owner of the legendary MV Agusta, and Anand Mahindra, the man who may buy a controlling stake in Cagiva and MV Agusta
Some time ago, we had reported that Tata Motors might be picking up a stake in the legendary Italian superbike manufacturer, MV Agusta. Now, while Tata may or may not still be interested in the deal, Mahindra has also evinced interest in the Italian bike manufacturer.
M&M, which has already bought a controlling stake in the Italian automotive design house, Stile Bertone, may now at buying a majority stake in MV Agusta. With little money for new bike research and development, low production and limited sales, MV Agusta has been in financial trouble for some time. The owner, Claudio Castiglioni is looking for potential investors/partners, and Mahindra might just fit the bill.
Another ailing Italian bike manufacturer, Benelli was bought out by a Chinese company some time back, and with Chinese money helping in the development of new models, Benelli seems to be back on track. It could be a similar story with MV Agusta, if the Mahindras do pick up a stake in the company.
It’s earlier been said that M&M has been looking at getting into the bike segment, but the UV maker has been looking at the low-cost, entry level motorcycles segment, while MV Agusta only makes high-end, high-performance superbikes that are some of the most expensive two-wheelers in the world. So, there seems to be no immediate synergy between the two companies. However, if Mahindra does pick up a stake in MV, it will immediately provide the company with a foothold in the global motorcycle market.
