Canadian Rotax, Can-Am, Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo and Evinrude owner BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) has completed its acquisition of Kottingbrunn, Austria based Great Wall Motor Austria GmbH, formerly a subsidiary of Great Wall Motor of Baoding, China. Described as a leading EV R&D centre, GWM specialises in e-drive systems and transmissions. The news follows the announcement earlier in the year that BRP is to add to its Canadian head office R&D capacity by opening a new Design Studio at Sophia Antipolis in the South of France and bring the Can-Am brand back into the PTW market in 2024 with a range of electric motorcycles. BRP has annual sales of CA$7.6bn from over 120 countries, and a global workforce of close to 20,000 people.
Patent paperwork seen by motorcycle.com appears to show that BMW intends to add to its CE 04 electric scooter offering with a "full-on electric motorcycle under development that is made to emulate the look of a classic Boxer engine. Dennis Chung reports that BMW was flirting with such an idea three years ago with the Vision DC Roadster - an electric motorcycle with the battery/motor assembly mounted longitudinally across the frame, giving the machine the layout and somewhat the look of a classic internal combustion engine in a Boxer layout. This time around though there are a set of finned aluminium heat sinks in the space where the battery and motor would otherwise be - preserving the classic 'cylinders in the breeze' optic that is such a Boxer hallmark.
Adventure Rider reports that, as at mid-June 2022, Ukrainian e-moto manufacturer Delfast was still in business and working on improving its line-up with an updated version of its Top 3.0 e-bike, called the Top 3.0i, that will go as fast as 50 mph, with a claimed potential range of 200 miles when ridden at slower speeds. An app allows riders to take the bike out of its Level 2 power mode (limiting speed to 20 mph from 750 watt motor output) into a 5,000 watt unlimited motor output mode.
SX Global, the Australian company spearheading the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), has announced four of the ten exclusive team licences it will issue for its inaugural global championship. "These independent teams were selected for their significant experience at the highest levels of professional supercross and motocross, and their ability to deliver strong competitive offerings across 450 and 250 classes. Manufacturer participation in the series is strong with up to six represented in the FIM World Championship". The four teams include American-based MotoConcepts Honda and Pipes Motorsports Group, along with France's Bud Racing Kawasaki and GSM Yamaha.
Despite seeking to get out of its contract to continue racing in MotoGP, Suzuki has signed to continue its official manufacturing partner relationship with AMA-sanctioned Superbikes operator MotoAmerica for the 2022 championship season. Suzuki has been an official MotoAmerica partner since the series started in 2015. MotoAmerica is headed up by two-time AMA Superbike Champion Wayne Rainey. Suzuki is "the winningest manufacturer in AMA Superbike", having taken 216 race victories - 52 more than its nearest competitor.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
