Many words lately have been spent telling the tale of MV Agusta, as the Italian motorcycle manufacturer is at an interesting crossroads for its future. It’s marriage with Mercedes-AMG failed, and now MV Agusta is in a precarious state, financially.
Because of its financial troubles, the motorcycle brand from Varese, Italy has had to rethink it production goals, and its model lineup.
MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni sat down with Alan Cathcart (that interview is slowly making its way out from the publications that Cathcart works with internationally) about this subject, and many other topics of interest.
One of the more interesting elements to come from their discussion is MV Agusta’s work on a new inline-four platform, and when we can see MV Agusta’s most iconic models getting a refresh.
We originally thought this delayed endeavor would manifest itself in a new superbike platform, with the next-generation MV Agusta F4 debuting shortly, but as Castiglioni reveals, the first new four-cylinder from MV Agusta will not be and F4, and instead will be a Brutale.
This shift in development schedules comes from MV Agusta change of focus, with the Italian brand moving it attention to its top-selling model line, the Brutale.
Before we will see the Brutale though, MV Agusta first needs to consolidate its current lineup. Details on that are sparse, though we would imagine the three-cylinder lineup will adopt a single displacement, either 675cc or 800cc (probably the prior), with the Dragster and Stradale models being phased out.
At EICMA this year, Castiglioni says that we can expect two new machines, one is a special edition of a current model, while the others is a whole new machine. Castiglioni also tipped that one of these bikes would use the three-cylinder platform, while the other was a four-cylinder.
If the three-cylinder platform does go to a single 675cc displacement, it would make sense then for MV Agusta to release a four-cylinder version of its Turismo Veloce adventure-sport.
We suspect this to be the direction for MV Agusta, as the Turismo Veloce is one of two three-cylinder machine currently in MV Agusta lineup that does not have a four-cylinder counterpart – the Rivale/Stradale being the other.
This is pure speculation, of course, though smart money would see MV Agusta hanging its hat on market segments that have more distinction between the models.
Right now, the three-cylinder lineup is very crowded for MV Agusta, with overlap amongst the three-cylinder bikes, as well as between the three and four-cylinder machines.
Since MV Agusta sees the touring market as an untapped segment for the Italian brand, we would pick this spot for the company’s new ventures.
After all, if there is a weakness with the Turismo Veloce 800, it is that the 800cc three-cylinder lump doesn’t have the same punch as the rest of the bikes in its category, belting out only 110hp. A four-cylinder machine, with 155hp on-tap however, would fit in this space rather nicely.
Time will tell soon enough what MV Agusta has up its sleeve. Keep an eye on this space.
Source: Motorfreaks.nl
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