Pierer Mobility AG’s January 2020 investor presentation has disclosed Husqvarna’s plans to expand alongside KTM to boost their joint market shares. In the document, Husqvarna announces an upcoming e-scooter, more e-bikes, and more displacements for its ADV explorer and naked lineups — including 501, 250, and 125 cc versions. There’s also hints of a classic line. Whatever happens, KISKA will definitely have even more fun designing Husqvarna’s stuff.
Pierer Mobility AG (which owns Austria’s KTM, Sweden’s Husqvarna, Spain’s GasGas, etc.) has been releasing investor presentations which reveal the future plans of the brands under its umbrella. As KTM's market share increases around the globe, Husqvarna is riding the wave, driving a good portion of the group's growth. In our last report, we gave you the scoop on KTM. Now, let’s look at what the latest presentation tells us about Husqvarna's expansion strategy…
Husqvarna will take the 501 from its competitive off-road range and apply it to its full lineup. While the existing engine of the FE 501 enduro is a single-cylinder unit derived from the KTM 500, some reports from India speculate that a new Husky 501 may be developed from the upcoming KTM 490 — which could be a parallel twin like the 790 or maintain the current 501's thumper.
Whether Husqvarna uses the existing 501 thumper or the new KTM 490 power plant for its expansion has yet to be seen. According to the investor report, Husqvarna’s 501 name will find its way into the Swedish brand’s lineup of adventure and street bikes.
Husqvarna previously announced that it will produce the Norden 901 concept, likely based on the KTM 790 Adventure platform. Looks like there are smaller Norden-esque "Explorer" bikes in the works. The presentation however does not suggest the 901 will migrate into the “Real Street” range, currently made up of the Vitpilen and Svartpilen motorcycles, anytime soon.
India recently launched smaller 250 versions of the Vitpilen and Svartpilen (already available in 701 and 401), manufactured by Bajaj Auto which owns 49% of KTM. The investor presentation claims that there will be 401 and 250 adventure bikes, plus an even smaller 125 cc version of a naked Husky in the works.
It’s interesting that there is a mysterious “Classic” line found in the presentation. This section is apparently empty, with no blurred representation of any design. However, this also may allude to how the existing “Real Street” naked bikes already incorporate a retrofuturistic style. Perhaps Husqvarna is considering a separate heritage line with no concrete development in the works. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Husqvarna has been focusing more on electric mobility with an e-scooter slated for 2021.
Remember, KTM already builds bikes in the Philippines through Ayala’s manufacturing operations under Adventure Cycle Philippines. Husqvarna is considering entering the Philippines, so there's a good chance we might see more of these new Huskies rolled out on local streets.
