COVID-19 Shutting Things Down
The motorcycle industry is just as susceptible to global crises as any other industry. According to RideApart, KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas, and Moto Morini all suspended production recently due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has taken the world by storm. The number of cases of the virus has only increased in recent days, and shutdowns and lockdowns are occurring across the globe.
The KTM and Husqvarna main facilities are located in Mattighofe, Austria. GasGas is in Girona, Spain. Moto Morini’s facilities are in Trivolzio, Italy—a country hit especially hard by the outbreak. It makes total sense that these facilities would shut down in the wake of the pandemic.
In a translation of a statement by Moto Morini, the company said this: “We are obviously worried, but also certain that we will overcome the emergency and start growing again. Italy has the ability to do it: we are a structurally strong country. We will surely overcome the crisis by acting with unity of purpose and spirit.”
There isn’t an official date for when the facilities will reopen, but that is an answer that is likely up in the air at this time. The outbreak has yet to be handled, and I’d expect more shutdowns before the doors to these facilities open back up.