It seems that the world of motorcycling is constantly the subject of rumors, it’s because it probably is. Some of them come to nothing, but others end up becoming reality. Take, for example, all the rumors about Marc Marquez leaving Honda, or about Ducati discreetly developing a motocross bike (and hiring Tony Cairoli) in secret.
Now we have another one. When KTM first acquired a 25.1% stake in MV Agusta in 2022, many people wondered when the next step would be taken. After all, many motorcycle enthusiasts have been paying attention long enough to witness KTM’s acquisitions of Husqvarna and GasGas. Why would MV be any different?
Then came the endless back and forth in the press. Pierer Mobility and Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM, along with Hubert Trunkenpolz, board member, publicly spoke about the future of the company and their visions seemed to include acquiring MV Agusta. Then, someone (anyone; it happened with several publications) would interview MV Agusta’s CEO, Timur Sardarov, and he would insist that KTM would not acquire his company.
On October 24, 2023, Pierer Mobility released a statement regarding a “strategic decision of the company.” The title of the statement is: “Deepening cooperation with MV Agusta.”
As far as business-related statements go, it’s an incredibly short statement. The subject reads: “KTM AG and MV Agusta agree on an option to purchase a majority stake.” The words are printed in bold.
After the subject line, there is a paragraph summarizing the commercial relationship between KTM and MV Agusta to date. It talks about KTM’s acquisition of a 25.1% stake in MV, the acquisition of the supply chain and purchases from MV, as well as the distribution of the Varese brand through Pierer Mobility’s vast global network.
Next comes the sentence that more observant observers were probably expecting. “The purchase option granted to KTM AG based on the annual financial statements of December 31, 2025 to acquire a majority stake in MV Agusta will be exercised in the spring of 2026.”
In other words, Pierer Mobility says that KTM will have a majority stake in MV Agusta in the spring of 2026. Of course, there will be more news about the agreement by that time.
