After being almost purchased by Paulo Berlusconi (brother of Silvio the guy always in the news for the young girls,) Moto Morini is back on the auction block for a base price of 5.5 Million Euros.
The rumor in my inbox is that the Indian Group will be buying the brand.
Mahindra Two Wheelers and TVS are two Indian motorcycle makers looking to expand their portfolio of motorcycles by launching bids. Mahindra is the only one that is a credible bid since they have a history of buying Italian companies.
Bajaj Auto did something similar by buying into KTM, of whom it now holds a controlling stake. It's also allowed them to get new tech and designs into future production. QJ purchased Benelli and has taken a lot of what it learned back to China. So there is much to be gained from buying these Italian companies even in liquidation.
Mahindra purchansed Engines Engineering a few years back. www.enginesengineering.com I've met the former owner a few times and he's an incredibly talented designer. He designed the Malaguti Yesterday among other bikes I love.
If you click on his site you can see all the Gilera bikes, Aprilia, Malaguti, and even Benelli scooters / motorcycles they created. Then later they would sell the design back to the OEM for production. Now owned by the Indian firm they are working on the next Generation of higher capacity scooters and bikes for the Indian 2 Wheel sector. In Mahindras case they currently license the SYM designs for assembly in India, but in the future will make their own designs / production since they own the Italian design firm.
It makes sense to look at Moto Morini if the rumors are true. Wait until the last minute and pick it up for a cool million. They are also supposedly talking to Engines neighboor Malaguti who also has until the end of 2011 to find an investor.
Moto Morini will probably sell for under $5million. I wouldnt be surprised if half of that.
For that money, the buyer will get to use the appropriate intellectual property.
http://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/02/25/news/la_crisi_del_motociclo_ci_sono_6mila_posti_a_rischio-12895579/
Italy is on the verge of loosing over 13,000 jobs in the motorcycle industry. Moto Morini’s demise is a sad tale in a bad economy, but it had been coming for some time. It was unfortunate that the marque could not generate enough interest in their products quickly enough to make the entire operation fiscally stable.
http://www.agi.it/english-version/business/elenco-notizie/201102181848-eco-ren1086-moto_morini_to_be_auctioned_for_5_5_million_euros
The legendary Bologna company Moto Morini will be auctioned on April 13 at 1.3 p.m. for 5.5 million euro including the building in Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna). Should the minimum price be reached, said bankruptcy officer Piero Aicardi, the offers will be accepted just for the company and not the building. This sum includes two years use of the building
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