Russian investment has apparently saved the MV Agusta business from going under, but there are no details yet on what it means to owners and customers.
Australian importers Urban Moto Imports marketing manager Joshua Pilley says they have no official comment.
“It’s business as usual,” he says. “We are looking forward to getting some of the new RC models in Australia as soon as possible.”
According to reports from several sources, a “significant capital investment” deal was done on November 17 with Russian-based investment company Black Ocean Group.
MV Agusta has been struggling over the past year with liquidity issues, reducing factory hours, and research and development. The results were clear at recent motorcycle shows where the company had no new product.
Instead, they have been pumping out limited-edition race replicas, including a Turismo Veloce RR. A race replica tourer?
MV Agusta Turismo Veloce RC race replicaRisks of Russian investment
Owners and MV fans will be hoping the Russian investment helps the Italian company restore its model development plans which had been robust over the past few years.
However, there are dangers in dealing with Russian investors. They tend to like high-risk investments and high short-term yield. Whereas R&D is more of a long-term investment.
Russian investors also like to own or manage companies they invest in.
Black Ocean Group has been particularly keen on new businesses, which is not the case with MV Agusta which started in 1945.
So it remains a mystery why the group has chosen to invest in MV and what their plans will be.
Business confidence
However, MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni says he has confidence in Black Ocean Group founders Oliver Ripley and Timur Saradov.
“I am very pleased that we have reached this agreement with Black Ocean,” he says.
“Beyond the strengthening of our capital, which is important for the future growth of MV Agusta, I strongly believe that Mr Sardarov, Mr Ripley and their global team will be able to contribute with their entrepreneurial and managerial skills in the consolidation of MV Agusta as a key player in the super premium motorcycle market.”
There are also no details on what it will mean for the Italian company’s association with Mercedes-AMG.
However, it is well documented that Giovanni does not like the link with the German company and believes they have not benefitted from the relationship.
Interestingly, Russian investment in German companies has skyrocketed in the past decade.