Benelli attracts investment
Qianjiang Motor - the Chinese company that acquired Benelli in 2005 - is looking at investing up to 20 million euros towards developing new Benelli motorcycles. Haimei Yan, the man who heads Qianjiang, is of the view that the conpany won't give up on the newly acquired brand. Though not profitable yet, they're not giving up anytime soon on Benelli. 'We are here to stay and we believe in the project. We have creativity and the ability to design new motorcycles,' says Yan.
The new Benelli motorcycles that are expected to be launched by the end of this year include the Due 756, which will be powered by a 90bhp, 756cc parallel twin, and a 600cc supersports machine fitted with an all-new 600cc inline-four, for which the target output is said to be 130bhp at 15,500rpm. With its new bikes and tighter focus on quality control, Benelli will be profitable in a few years time, says Yan.
The biggest obstacle, according to Yan, is the way business is conducted in Italy. 'Rampant Italian bureaucracy, the convoluted system of granting various permits and chaotic business processes hamper Benelli's growth and development,' he says.
[Via: BIKE]
International Bike of the Year – Ducati 1098
Winning International Bike of the Year underlines the fact that Ducati has made a world-class motorcycle with the 1098. The tough choices were made when defining numbers two and three. Triumph won the IBOTY title last year with its Daytona 675, and the British manufacturer was again able to impress journalists worldwide with the naked Street Triple. In third place we find for the first time a three-way tie: Honda CBR600RR, Yamaha YZF-R1 and Ducati 1098S .
With the 1098 in IBOTY's top spot, 1098S in a shared third place, the DesmosediciRR in sixth and the Hypermotard in seventh, it's clear that Ducati has only won several world titles in racing in 2007 but also the hearts and minds of journalists worldwide.
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