Russian Investment Breathing New Life into MV Agusta, Report Says

Timur Sardarov is giving MV Agusta the chance it deserves.

byEric Brandt|
Russian Investment Breathing New Life into MV Agusta, Report Says
Share

0

There’s no question Italian firm MV Agusta makes gorgeous, high-quality motorcycles, but they’ve fallen on hard times. Just last year, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and things were looking bleak. With other premium bike brands like Ducati and BMW stepping up their respective games, it’s getting harder for the small, privately-owned MV Agusta to stand out.

However, one of our favorite little guys to root for just got a new lease on life. Cycle World reports that MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni, a man who is just as Italian and eccentric as you’d hope, has struck a deal with Black Ocean Investment Group CEO Timur Sardarov to become a partner in the company and make a big investment.

MV Agusta Motors will now be controlled by a new holding company called MV Agusta Holding. The new company was created by combining Castiglioni’s investment firm CG Holding with the new capital poured in by Black Ocean. Currently, Mercedes-AMG owns 25 percent of MV Agusta Motors, and the first order of business for MV Agusta Holding will reportedly be to buy back all of those shares. 

In a weird way, a big investment from an outside investment firm is actually making MV Agusta more independent. Castiglioni is still calling the shots, as he will be the CEO of MV Agusta Holding while having a majority of the partnership.

This could be MV Agusta’s chance for a big breakout in the United States, where the company currently has a very small presence of just 33 dealers in the country. Innovators in both style and engineering, MV Agusta deserves a win.

stripe