MV Agusta to make 350-500cc motorcycles with Chinese manufacturer Loncin

Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta and the Loncin Motor Co, a Chinese industrial heavyweight has announced a long-term partnership agreement to develop a new family of 350cc-500cc MV Agusta motorcycles. Thus far, MV has positioned itself as a super premium brand, and while it has taken the company longer than its European rivals to do so, it will finally foray into in the entry-level, premium motorcycle space. 

As per the agreement, MV Agusta will design and develop four models, while the Loncin Motor Company will manufacturer these motorcycles in China to cater to Asian markets. MV Agusta says the low-displacement motorcycles will retain its brand DNA – the unique style, sound, and vehicle dynamics. The first of these motorcycles will make their debut by end 2021.

MV specifies that the motorcycles will be ‘completely designed’ by them, but we’re not certain if this means that the entire chassis and drivetrain will be a fresh creation from Italy, or whether the bikes will be based on a Loncin platform. Nothing else has been revealed so far in terms of engine layout, but if these bikes are completely new developments, it’s likely that they will fall under the existing MV family lines of naked, sport and sport-touring machines. Continuing in that line of thought, these small-capacity motorcycles may well feature similar styling themes and with trellis frames underneath. 

Besides developing the 300-500cc motorcycles, MV Agusta will also help the Loncin Motor Company develop its own 800cc range of motorcycles. The Italian manufacturer will design and develop a new family of these big-capacity motorcycles for Loncin’s premium brand called VOGE. Through this partnership, Loncin hopes to grab a major chunk of the premium motorcycle space in China. 

This range of small-capacity motorcycles will be retailed out of existing MV Agusta showrooms, but the company hasn’t elaborated on which markets will receive the motorcycles first. MV Agusta is brought to India by Motoroyale, which is part of the Kinetic Group. The motorcycles sold in India, like the Brutale 800, F3 800 and the F4 1000, are priced at a premium over similar-capacity motorcycles by other European manufacturers. If Motoroyale does decide to launch these 300-500cc MV Agustas, it’ll be interesting to see what price bracket they'd fall into.

Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor, said: “This strategic alliance is an important step to consolidate our vision for the future of MV Agusta. Our target is to reaffirm our leadership in the production of upper-premium motorcycles, while also enlarging our customer base by offering a broader range of products without compromising our distinctive design and performance. We are looking forward to grow with the right partners and the right products, making sure that our clients enjoy the larger choice of models, all of which share the same DNA and MV Agusta pedigree.”