AMG buys into MV Agusta

AMG has returned to the business of fast motorcycles – and this time it won’t be shoved aside by anybody.

The official Mercedes-Benz performance brand has confirmed rumours that it just bought 25 per cent of classic Italian brand Meccanica Verghera (MV) Agusta.

AMG had a cosy marketing-based relationship with another premium Italian brand, Ducati, but was unmercifully shoved aside by Audi when it bought the Bologna operation lock, stock and barrel in 2012/

AMG, though, still had a craving for fast bikes, with CEO Tobias Moers insisting they went together perfectly with AMG cars, and an awful lot of AMG customers had both cars and bikes.

And, with MV Agusta, it actually gets two brands because MV Agusta also owns the Cagiva brand.

“In MV Augusta, we have found the perfect two-wheel partner for Mercedes-AMG,” Mr Moers said.

“This manufacturer with a long tradition and Mercedes-AMG are connected not only by a long and successful racing history, but also by shared values and goals for the future – allowing the experience of utmost perfection, optimal performance and motorsport technology for the road.

“The cooperation with MV Agusta also underscores the importance of AMG as the sports car and high-performance brand of Mercedes-Benz cars. The partnership provides us with an entry into a world of additional high-performance enthusiasts.”

So it targeted the struggling MV Agusta, the brand made famous by Giacomo Agostini.

The sale is pending regulatory approvals in Italy, which should go quickly. After all, in the last 20-odd years MV Agusta ownership has changed hands from Cagiva to Proton to Husqvarna (then owned by BMW) to the GEVI SpA financing company to Harley-Davidson to the Castiglioni family again and now to AMG.

For its 25 per cent stake, AMG will receive a seat on the board of the Varese-based concern, while MV Agusta gets technology and development nous from AMG.

MV Agusta has 260 staff, with 90 of them in research and development.