MV Agusta’s CEO, Giovanni Castiglioni, says he sees the Italian brand as being a 10,000 unit per year company and that it is right on track.
The brand sold close to 9,000 motorcycles last year according to recently released figures, a 30% increase in sales over its 2014 results.
“I am still defining MV Agusta,” he said speaking at the world launch of the new Brutale 800 in Spain last week.
“At one time, I thought that we could make a lot of motorcycles but now I think that the right number is 10,000.
“I see Ducati as being like Porsche and I want MV to be more like Ferrari – a super-premium brand.”
The Veloce Turismo, Dragster RR and Brutale 800 have all been major influences in sales growth and accounted for around 35% of all MV Agusta sales last year.
The new 2016 Brutale 800 is likely to improve sales even further.
MV Agusta has had its best growth period in many years since Castiglioni bought the company in 2010.
It has also been one of the most stable periods in the company’s recent history.
Like many old European manufacturers, the company has had many owners and tough times since it was started in 1945.
The last ten years or so have been particularly turbulent.
Malaysian car maker Proton bought the company in 2004. At the time MV Agusta was heavily in debt, and Proton sold it only a year later for the reported price of 1 Euro.
Harley-Davidson agreed to acquire the MV Agusta Group in 2008, but then announced it would divest its interest in the company in October 2009.
In August 2010, Harley-Davidson announced it had sold MV Agusta to Claudio Castiglioni.
Mercedes-AMG has had a long term partnership with MV Agusta since October 2014, and has a 25% minority stake in the brand.