Volkswagen Looking for a Motorcycle Manufacturer
April 16th, 2008 at 1:30 pm by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
Volkswagen may be on the lookout for a motorcycle manufacturer to add to its holdings. Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who rides a Ducati, said in an interview, he regrets not buying Ducati in 1985 when it was a bargain due to financial troubles. He did not specify what company he has in mind now, if any, or if this is an active pursuit.
UPDATE: Kim Scholer, one of our regular readers from Denmark, commented below about this bike and sent us these photos of an early VW/Audi motorcycle powered by an NSU engine and built back in the 1970s. Thanks, Kim!
Link: Automotive News via Motor Trend
Posted in Motorcycle Business
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20 Responses to “Volkswagen Looking for a Motorcycle Manufacturer”
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April 16th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Well… KTM of Austria is already using VW/AUDI engines for it’s Crossbow sports car. And Austrians are basically Germans without the sense of humour. (Relax, it’s just a joke!) So, it seems like a natural.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Does VW prepare a revival of the Munch Mamutt with an Audi engine in it ?
April 16th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
VW/AUDI did actually build a very nice motorcycle prototype, using the watercooled version of the NSU engine found in the Münch Mammut. That engine was used in the VW K70, a car they inherited when they bought NSU. I’ll send pics of it to ‘thekneeslider.com’ - hopefully they’ll find a way to post it with these words.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
“And Austrians are basically Germans without the sense of humour.”
I thought it was the other way around?
April 16th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
CAN ANYBODY SAY GX3″ P.S. I,AM FROM GERMANY AND I LOVED THE JOKE”
April 16th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I understand that Dr. Piech has had a great appreciation of Honda’s small bikes … not that Honda would ever be up for sale.
Perhaps a resurrected brand name from the past with modern technology is in the cards?
April 16th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
I start wondering about Piechs intensions. He surely is one of Germany’s top managers and saved VW in the 90s. But it’s getting a little frightening now…
April 17th, 2008 at 12:31 am
I always thought VW should resurrect the NSU brand. I do think they still own the rights. They had a number of very capable machines and the marque was/is very well respected. Of course it would probably just start out as a range of V-twin cruisers called the Fox or an inline-4 called RennMax.
-todd
April 17th, 2008 at 8:06 am
VW should concentrate on there reliability and longevity issues before ontaking another engineering adventure.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Did I just dream this or have there been attempts at one of these VW motorcycles before from South America? I am a BUG fan for many, many, years. And I have seen everything from boats and planes done with the square air colled bug engines of the past, and I’m sure there was a motorcycle called the Amazon or something like that , proabably home built to start, but Im sure someone had been maufacturing them back in the early 70’s?
Does anyone have pics of these machines?
Thanks
Brad
April 17th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Brad,
Yes, I have a photo of the bike you’re thinking of, … buried somewhere in The Kneeslider research library, it will take some digging. It was a huge bike built in South America and quality was sketchy from what I recall.
April 17th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
http://www.motoesporte.com.br/historia%20moto/historia%20amazonas.htm
April 17th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for the link, Bob, saves me a lot of digging.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
GX3 was a 3 wheeled car.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
IN THE USA. A THREE WHEELER IS A MOTORCYCLE.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
HEY, ROHORN NICE LINK. DO YOU KNOW ONE IN ENGLISH OR GERMAN.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Sorry, the best I can find are from…..Brazil:
http://amazonas-mc.sites.uol.com.br/index.htm
http://www.tmamotos.com.br/memoria2.html
April 17th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Even by the standards of the ’70’s that is heinous!
October 12th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I heard someone commenting about the quality of an Amazon motorcycle being sketchy,maybe he said that because it was made in South America,that bike was actually of great quality and was exported to several countries,but it was bulky.
Perhaps VW could buy the Amazon company.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I have seen the new VW Motorcyle and in talks with them about a job working with the bike.