Quite a bit of controversy has been stirred since November 2022 when MV Agusta and KTM went into a partnership together. A North American distribution deal was inked back then which also concluded with a 25.1-percent stake in the Italian brand. Following that, the rumor mill started to churn about a KTM takeover.
On the KTM side of things, executives from Pierer Mobility chimed in left and right about MV Agusta. Stefan Pierer was quite vocal, stating that “no one needs a Lucky Explorer from MV.” Following that comment, Hubert Trunken Polz, one of KTM’s executive board members, confirmed to Motorrad magazine that the firm intends to obtain a majority stake in MV with an undisclosed timetable having already been set behind meeting room doors.
KTM seems to be piling on, even stating that the MV Agusta brand will still be based in Italy and not relocated to Mattighofen but MV’s boss, Timur Saradarov, said otherwise in an exclusive interview with Motorrad. Currently, the man owns 74.9 percent of MV Agusta, and he doesn’t seem phased by KTM’s desire to take over in fact he said that “it’s nice that there is such a great interest” in MV Agusta from KTM, as translated from Motorrad’s article.
Motorrad asked whether KTM is actually about to take over a majority stake in MV Agusta, and the five-year contract is still in play here so perhaps not anytime soon. KTM has a right of first refusal, but Saradarov states that nothing will change in the next three to four years. Saradarov also stated that he would want to not sell at all.
Saradarov also addressed the issue of KTM’s comments about the Lucky Explorer. Neither confirming nor denying the 550 to be a part of the lineup, Saradarov did confirm that the 950 is coming. Saradarov stated that the KTM portfolio is up for consideration now that the two companies are in business together. With this, the new model series will be called the MV Agusta LXP with several variants planned including the Lucky Explorer.
As for the engine, Saradarov confirms that the LXP will be totally different and come with a three-cylinder engine. The model will get a global reveal sometime in late summer of 2023 and MV hopes to build 2,500 to 3,000 units this year.
It also appears that Saradarov was already well-aware of KTM’s aggressive business practices. He acknowledged that KTM’s aggression is just what MV Agusta needs. He also answers in another interview question that the partnership is going well and that there are challenges, but the two companies are making great progress.
There’s still more to unpack, so I recommend that you head on over to the source, Motorrad, for the full interview. The link is in the source list.
