MV Agusta president Giovanni Castiglioni has officially confirmed that the company is in talks with Polaris over the acquisition of a majority share in the Italian marque. This acquisition would allow Polaris an entry into the sportbike segment.
While MV Agusta continues to have a cult following among enthusiasts, the company’s financial woes have been haunting it for past few years. Mercedes last year came in as a saviour when it bought a 25 per cent stake of MV Agusta and infused some cash into the company, though the deal turned out to be a failure. Speaking out about their partnership with Mercedes, Castiglioni said that their venture was nothing short of a disaster.
Polaris on the other hand has had a successful run with its motorcycle businesses, which include the Indian and Victory marque. The American group recently also acquired electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo, further diversifying its portfolio. As such, Polaris’ interest in acquiring a stake in a premium and highly aspirational brand like MV Agusta comes as no shocker.
Talking to CycleWorld about their future, Castiglioni said, “I can confirm that we’ve been in discussions with them (Polaris) about some form of partnership, just as with other companies interested in investing in the commercially successful premium brand that is MV Agusta.”
