MV Agusta has revealed its much-anticipated new range of affordable smaller displacement models will come with 350cc engines.
It has been a busy few months for MV Agusta, which having confirmed it would be developing new motorcycles with resource rich Chinese manufacturer Loncin, has also undergone a boardroom restructure.
Founder and former President Giovanni Castiglioni has been shifted to an advisory role with Timur Sardarov – who became Chairman of the Board in CEO in December 2018 – assuming almost entire control with the promise of personally funding the capital needed to target 25,000 sales within five years.
Key to achieving that objective is swelling the range to include more mid=market models built around a new engine and platform. This is now confirmed to be a two-cylinder 350cc engine, according to Asphalt & Rubber.
“MV Agusta is entering the biggest relevant market in the world, which is 350c to 500cc,” Sardarov revealed in an interview.
“MV Agusta is going to embrace more lower displacement, high performance, in its technology. We are coming up with a new 350cc engine, we have it, it’s a twin. So, we are going to have a two-cylinder 350cc.”
What can we expect from the new ‘smaller’ MV Agusta range?
While Sardarov is coy on what models we can expect to see emerge from such a platform, there is a clear indication that it will need to be ambitious in order to reach that 25,000 figure.
That means we could be prepared to see a number of new models appear, with A&R speculating it could go as far as a new cruiser and ADV, albeit finished with the sporty ‘motorcycle art’polish MV have become renowned for through its Brutale, Serie Oro and Superveloce.
One thing is certain though, MV Agusta is committed to ensure these remain affordable and comparable to mainstream rivals.
With this in mind, it is therefore likely these models will be manufactured in China through MV Agusta’s collaborative deal with Loncin. Announced in July, MV Agusta is supposedly working with Loncin’s new premium brand – Voge – to bring it up to standard, with the Chinese firm offering up the capacity needed for it to meet these new production demands.
The move into the mid-range market is a reaction to the increase squeeze on MV Agusta’s premium position in the market, with increasingly image-conscious models from Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki eating into its market share.
As such, it appears MV Agusta is bidding to come from the other direction and take its iconic name into a more accessible marketplace to snatch some sales back.
New models are slated to appear at the 2020 EICMA show with production new to get underway in 2021.
