Tata to pick up stake in MV Agusta
MV Agusta is a legendary Italian motorcycle marque, and if Ratan Tata picks up a stake in the company, the Italians may not be too happy about it!
Tata is, reportedly, in talks with Claudio Castiglioni - the man who owns the Cagiva and MV Agusta motorcycle brands. Based in Varese, Italy, MV Agusta manufactures high-end, high-performance superbikes which are some of the best in the world. However, the Italian company has been facing financial problems for some time now, which means it has not been able to devote money towards new product development, and has also shelved plans of going racing in the World Superbikes series.
With Tata coming into the picture, and a subsequent cash infusion, MV Agusta could get a new lease of life. In an interesting aside, the Italian company had earlier expressed interest in wanting to sell its bikes in India, and it was being said that the Pune-based Kinetic may import MV Agusta motorcycles to India and sell them here. It remains to be seen how the situation will progress, if Tata picks up a stake in MV Agusta.
Valued at US$11.4 billion, Tata was recently ranked 57th among Top 100 brands listed by Brand Finance, a UK-based company focused on brand management and valuation.
