MV Agusta, a small but legendary Italian motorcycle manufacturer and Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division are reportedly taking their relationship to a new level.
Mercedes purchased a significant 25 percent stake of MV Agusta after its relationship with Ducati quickly collapsed. The cause of this collapse was Lamborghini’s acquisition of Ducati. Automobili Lamborghini is, of course, a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi. Ever since, Mercedes has been seeking to increase their participation in the premium motorcycle segment, essentially trying to catch up to its rivals, Audi and BMW, whom are both well established in this segment.
Now, MV Agusta President, Giovanni Castiglioni, has shed light on how exactly the German brand and the Italian firm intend to solidify their bond. During a press event for the new Brutale 800, Castiglioni disclosed that 127 Mercedes dealerships across Europe will begin to display MV Agusta motorcycles. This is significant, as even BMW automobile dealers, unless they’re BMW Motorrad dealers as well, do not display BMW motorcycles. Nor do Audi or Lamborghini dealers, typically, display Ducatis without also being a Ducati dealer. However, Mercedes has a lot of catching up to do.
Also, a version of MV Agusta’s F3 800, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show adorning “Solar Beam” paint derived from the Mercedes-AMG GT, will enter limited production. In addition to utilizing a color from AMG’s color palette, the vehicle introduced in September, too, has the AMG brand name prominently placed on its fairings.
Along with this, MV Agusta will introduce 6 new models, with the hope of making the brand more competitive. Though the MV brand is a prestigious brand, like Ducati and BMW Motorrad, it has significantly less brand recognition, particularly outside of those familiar with motorcycles. Increasing its association with Mercedes-Benz will begin to garner the brand more mainstream exposure whilst also serving to increase Mercedes’ association with motorcycles. Whether MV Agusta will ever be able to truly compete commercially against Ducati and BMW Motorrad remains to be seen.
