Do you love the look of the Husqvarna Norden 901? If so, you’re not alone. Husqvarna’s first take on an adventure bike just won a 2022 Good Design Award from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion. Every year, the JIDP announces Good Design Award winners across a number of categories, both tangible and intangible.
The official statement reads, in part: "Adventure bikes are visually required to have the function and performance to travel long distances safely and safely on off-road and paved roads. The Norden 901 maintains the style of adventure bikes while offering a modern look that is a Nordic brand's specialty.”
“By using a design language, it achieves high functionality with a method different from the conventional rough expression. Its clean appearance is fresh. As Husqvarna's first adventure model, the [bodywork] with monotone and yellow accents is youthful. It gives a strong impression and expresses the unity of the brand,” it goes on.
Gallery: 2022 Husqvarna Norden 901
Kiska designer Marcello Basilio is specifically named for praise on the official gallery page for the 2022 Good Design Award for the Norden 901. This means that the bike is featured in the GDA online gallery, will of course receive an official award and certification, and may also use the special G Mark to indicate its award-winning status. Additionally, the JIDP cooperates with a number of other internationally-recognized design organizations around the world.
How is the Norden 901 doing in terms of sales? Pierer Mobility AG, which is Husqvarna’s parent company, does not break its sales reports up by model. In its 2022 half-yearly report, the company noted that it has sold a total of 34,737 Husqvarna motorcycles worldwide, across all models. It’s unclear how many of those were Norden 901s.
That represents a slight increase in Husqvarna motorbikes sold year-on-year when compared with 2021, which saw 33,681 Huskys find their way to new homes in the same time period. So, although Pierer’s overall sales across all three of its brands (KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS) are down at the half-yearly mark (114,159 sold across all three brands in the first half of 2022, as compared to 133,858 sold for the same time period in 2021), the decreases seem to be on the KTM side of the equation. Both Husqvarna and GASGAS show increased sales numbers year-on-year over that period.
