In the wake of the Kawasaki/Suzuki joint venture announcement, rumors are swirling of various potential mergers between European motorcycle manufacturers. Indeed, this is just a continuation of a trend that has included the acquisition of a portion of MV Agusta by Piaggio, and the acquisition of Laverda and Moto Guzzi by Aprilia.
Today’s economic realities require huge economies of scale in high volume motorcycle manufacturing. Don’t be surprised to see some of the major brands in Europe consolidating in the near future.
