Italy Rocks!
ITALY ROCKS!
ROUNDUP
FOR THE PAST HALFcentury, the Milan Show has come on odd-numbered years, alternating with its German counterpart, held last October in Cologne. Now for its 64th edition, EICMA, as the Italian show is known, has regained its annual cadence.
None too soon, given the exciting new products on display last November. In fact, the Italian industry laid down a demonstration of vitality not seen in years. Most of the machines on display were either production or pre-production units, with little time and energy wasted on concepts. The quality of the models shows where the energy was focused.
Milan also confirmed that Piaggio is determined to take full advantage of its industrial and technical potential, as well as its financial supremacy. Indeed, the signals coming from Piaggio-owned Aprilia and Moto Guzzi were very strong: a 90-degree Aprilia V-Twin starting life at 750cc and able to grow all the way to 1200cc; a lOOOcc 65-degree V-Four to power Aprilia’s next World Superbike challenger; and a Moto Guzzi 1200cc V-Twin with four-valve induction and substantial growth potential.
Piaggio’s only real competition at the show came from Ducati. The Bologna-based bike-maker is recovering from a time of low sales and uncertain perspectives, which started with TPG’s _ -
money into the factory, product chief Claudio Domenicali was working equally hard to renew the model line to reconquer the hearts and minds of enthusiasts none too pleased by the latest trends in styling. Both succeeded: New shareholders granted Ducati renewed financial ' î; energy, and the first model of the Domenicali era, the 1098 repli-racer, is a showstopper. MV Agusta is the most Italian of the entire Italian motorcycle industry in that it combines the naive man-
decision to sell its majority stock and stop investing in Ducati. While CEO Federico Minoli was hard at work finding new investors to pour agement of Claudio Castiglioni with the artistic creativeness of two of the most competent and dedicated technicians in the field: frame-and-styling maestro Massimo Tamburini and engine designer Andrea Goggi. This duo conceives superb bikes that are so expensive they remain confined to small, highly exclusive production runs. This craftsman approach requires a careful balancing act to close each year in black ink.
MV also owns Cagiva and off-road specialist Husqvarna. There were no Cagivas at the show, but with more than 10,000 Huskys produced each year, there is
potential for big numbers. Castiglioni admits he hasn’t granted adequate attention to this formerly Swedish make, being so in love as he is with MV. That will change, he says.
Benelli has remained in a state of suspended animation for years, producing small batches of the three-cylinder Tornado 900 and scores of cheap scooters. The last Italian owner, Andrea Merloni, sold the company to China’s Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle Co. Ltd., a 14,000strong entity capable of producing in excess of one million bikes and two million engines each year.
Benelli is Qianjiang’s tiny beachhead in Europe and was the only Italian nameplate to attend Cologne. It also was the only one showing concept bikes at Milan-a prototype 450cc motocrosser and a mid-size roadster powered by a parallel-Twin derived from the Tornado 1130.
In all, the Italian motorcycle industry appears stronger, more aware of its role in the global arena and determined to progress on the road to higher quality and conceptual refinement. It also appears there is room for but one real industrial group, and that is Piaggio. The others must carve their own niches through high-quality, easily identifiable products with strong personalities attained through performance, racing, refinement or styling-anything to add value and increase profit in a market made smaller by an increasingly aggressive local giant. -Bruno de Prato
