Thursday 3 May 2018

News Briefs




For the 12 months of its 2017 financial year (to January 31st, 2018) BRP Inc. (Canada) has recorded record revenue figures and says that just seven years after entering the UTV (Side x Side) market with its Can-Am brand, it is already in number three market share position in the highly competitive but growing sector. Gross profit increased by Can.$58.6 million, or 5.8 percent, to Can.$1,067.5 million for the 12-month period.

BMW Motorrad reported U.S. sales of 13,546 motorcycles for 2017, down just 1.3% from the 13,730 motorcycles sold in 2016 - outpacing the rest of the motorcycle industry (which was down -3.2%) and its relevant competition (which was down -6.3%). They posted +15% growth in sales from September through December 2017, with all-time record monthly sales in November 2017. BMW has 153 dealers in the U.S.


The KTM Group saw unit sales increase by +17% for 2017 at 238,334 (Husqvarnas and KTMs). The company aims to sell 400,000 motorcycles annually by the business year 2022.

Stephan Schaller has retired as head of BMW Motorrad, a position he had held since the summer of 2012. Under his management BMW has posted successive record sales numbers and successfully broadened the meaning of the brand, expanding and internationalising the BMW offer and introducing middleweight and custom platforms.

At the beginning of March, Ducati’s announcement of over $180,000 of AFT contingency prize purse took the total offered for the 2018 season to over $2 million. Contingent on using the 821cc twin-cylinder engine that served as the powerplant for Ducati’s 2015-2018 Monster and 2013-2015 Hypermotard models, their commit includes $10,000 for a championship win and $5,000 for an event win.