Husqvarna adventure tourer, BMW maxi scooters coming this year

Speaking at the launch of the BMW K1600GT/L in South Africa last week, BMW Motorrad VP Hermann Bohrer revealed the existence of a forthcoming adventure tourer from the company’s Italian dirt bike brand, plus two maxi scooters believed to draw inspiration from the BMW Concept C. That Husqvarna adventure bike won’t go head-to-head with BMW’s existing range, rather it’s believed to be skewing lightweight and very dirt-capable.

Hermann stated, “In Milan debut a maxi enduro Husqvarna combining German engineering with Italian design. It will have a two-cylinder engine and a bike light and agile.”

Additionally, Hermann stated that two maxi scooters — large-capacity, highway-capable bikes that remain step-through in configuration — would also be unveiled at the November show.

At last year’s EICMA show, the crazy Husqvarna Mille3 concept was shown, likely providing styling inspiration for this new bike.

That’s the end of the firm details related to the three machines, but speculation runs to the Husky adopting a version of the BMW F800GS’s parallel-twin and at least one of those scooters looking more or less like the Concept C.

It's worth noting that both adventure bikes and maxis are mature segments. Following on from the success of the S1000RR, it appears as if BMW's new strategy is to enter existing niches in a strikingly similar manner to competitors, relying on the company's engineering talent to deliver a product which is slightly better than competitors. That slight advantage then the buzz of BMW competing in sectors traditionally dominated by other companies appears to be a low-risk way of attaining short-term sales success. Relying on rivals to do your market research for you, then learning from their successes and failures is smart, if not exactly inspiring, but it's a role BMW can comfortably move into as a niche manufacturer.

via Moto.it and SoloScooter