Interviews – Interview Eric Antunes (KTM): our 1290 Super Duke outperformed – Pre-owned HUSQVARNA KTM

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Interview Eric Antunes (KTM): our 1290 Super Duke outperformed

Interviews - Interview Eric Antunes (KTM): our 1290 Super Duke outperformed - Pre-owned HUSQVARNA KTM

With 7,218 registrations, KTM posted a jump of + 22.3% on the French motorcycle market (+ 29.4% for Husqvarna). Eric Antunes, president of the Austrian brand in France, establishes his 2016 report for Site and reveals his objectives for 2017. Interview.

Site: The Euro 4 emission standard has forced you to update your range for 2017 and to cross out certain products from your catalog … Costly in two ways, can this standard nevertheless boost your 2017 sales thanks to the attraction of many new features ?
Éric Antunes (President KTM France): For the KTM group, the Euro 4 standard has not resulted in any model shutdown. The group had anticipated and therefore we are not losing any models in 2017. Our models therefore all evolve into Euro 4 and of course, this entails profound changes on most of them and the arrival of new products. It is clear that these "novelties" will boost sales and allow us to progress on the French market. Our market is very competitive and KTM has not yet reached its potential compared to other European markets..

  • MNC special file :

MNC: Another restriction that occurred in mid-2016 this time, has it boosted sales of your 35 kW models and kits ?
E. A .: At the moment, it is still too early to have a precise idea of ​​what this modified A2 will bring. We have noticed a progression on our but we can not yet know if this is due to the A2 license. 2017 should give us the beginnings of an answer. From experience, we know that any license change results in a period of uncertainty. We will do the accounts at the end of 2017.

  • MNC special file :

MNC: Always cleaner and safer (ABS or compulsory combined braking), motorized two-wheelers are still not considered as a solution in town (alternating traffic, ban in town center, etc.). Are there ways to change this ?
E. A .: We all know that there is a certain "motophobia" in France. With the CSIAM, long-term work has been put in place and we will continue to work so that motorcycles in France find their place both for urban mobility and simply as a means of having fun. Several avenues are currently being developed to change the general public’s view of two-wheelers in general and this communication put in place by the government which sees two-wheelers only as a road safety statistic..

  • MNC special file :

MNC: The 2017 Paris Motorcycle Show has been postponed … until when and for what reasons do you think? Would a hypothetical cancellation be penalizing for your activity? ?
E. A .: We had several meetings concerning the Paris show. Discussions are ongoing and nothing, at the moment, has really been taken. What is certain is that for 2017 we do not see a way out and it is better to postpone. Now there is evidence, the Paris Salon has around 160,000 admissions while a Lyon salon averages 45,000 for a cost more than 20 times lower. In addition, it is a trade fair. At the Paris Salon, we don’t see any new customers. KTM prefers to invest in communication with new potential customers (former bikers, people asking themselves the question and seeking to be comforted in their approach). The Paris Show has become a regional show which must evolve in concept, location and date in order to be able to interest new potential customers and most brands..

  • MNC Premium :

MNC: How do you feel about the overall evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2016? ?
E. A .: I want to say, it’s about time! The French market is one of the last to return to Europe while having been the last to go down. Another French particularity. Having seen several crises in my career, this one was longer. But what we always note is a return of bikers after a period of famine. The bikers have been weaned and let loose this year. The neo-retro movement has also allowed new bikers – or former bikers who want to return to motorcycles – to be able to have fun with motorcycles that suit them. It should also be noted the postponement of the purchase of large engines from the last quarter of 2015 to 2016 because of the end of 100 hp. Of course, the contribution of new products energizes the market but there were not that many in 2016, most arriving in 2017.

MNC: What is your assessment for your brand in 125 and large cubes? ?
E. A .: 2016 is a very good year for KTM and yet another record year for Husqvarna. KTM suffered in 2015 with a decrease of -7% compared to the previous year. In 2016, the brand finished at + 22%. Some would say it’s thanks to the Enduro, which is partly true, but with the loss of the 125 EXC we just made up for it with the other models and therefore lost our progress in this segment. The same thing obviously happened at Husqvarna.

Now what is important to me is that the customer thought of KTM when purchasing his new road bike and it got us to perform. Our and have exceeded our forecasts. Our also outperformed because we made more sales than when it was introduced and our found their customers because the stock network is practically zero. The introduction of the 701s at home opened up the road segment for our distributors and despite fears of cannibalization on KTM, this did not happen. As a result, these are additional sales that drive Husqvarna forward without losing any to KTM.

MNC: Which models have performed particularly well this year?
E. A .: As detailed above, I was more than surprised by the sales of our Super Duke. Certainly being able to try it out in a normal, unconstrained version made customers realize that it was just perfect for all uses. I was also surprised by the score achieved by the 125 Duke. We are in the fifth year and its success is still relevant today. This opens up great prospects for her replacement. The new Euro 4 engine also performed very well and we missed it throughout the year. If we are talking about all-terrain, of course the launch of the new Enduro range is a success because we will end up progressing in this segment having lost the 125 cc which represented more than 400 units for KTM. For Motocross, it is also a record year because we exceed our sales of 2015, while that year the range was renewed..

At Husqvarna, the Supermoto found its customers and we exceeded our expectations. In Enduro, same observation as KTM: the other models made it possible to compensate for the loss of sales of some 250 annual units of 125. Ditto in Motocross, we exceeded the figures of last year. Overall, the group has had a very good year in all segments.

MNC: Who are those who have stayed behind? Why ?
E. A .: The only model for which our expectations are not met is the. This is largely due to its late arrival (May) and production postponements in June which discouraged many customers. I sincerely think, in view of the year-end sales, that 2017 will be a good year for this model..

MNC: Did your 2016 novelties reach their commercial objectives? ?
E. A .: As explained above, the 690 Duke performed very well and we ran out of it throughout the year. The GT performed less well for the reasons mentioned above and of course a very good result on our new EXC range. Regarding Husqvarna, the 701 exceeded our expectations and the Enduro TE and FE exceeded our expectations..

MNC: What was the pleasant surprise of your year 2016? And the less good ?
E. A .: The good surprise was the Super Duke with 735 registrations and the worst, sales of the GT version due in large part to the supply problem..

MNC: According to you, what was the highlight of 2016 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
E. A .: For me, it wasn’t just one. We can cite the, our victory at the Nations in Cross, the success of the Le Mans GP and of course while some major brands are not represented there..

  • MNC of October 19, 2016 :

MNC: What are your good resolutions for the year 2017 ?
E. A .: We will try to be even closer to our customers through our presence at many events, through our networks and by seeking to innovate in communication..

MNC: What are your major events in 2017 ?
E. A .: We have a lot! If we are talking about competition, we are in the Promosport 400 with our RC 390 Cup, on the Protwin Challenge with the Super Duke Cup that we are launching, in the French Enduro Championship with the two teams KTM and Husqvarna, in the French Elite championship, Junior and SX with support riders on KTM and Husqvarna but also with the KTM VHR Team which will also do the sand. In events created by the brands, we will have the KTM Mania and the Husky Evasion for enduro. We are also launching a new event for Cross Country with the KTM SX Family which replaces the KTM Trophy. There will also be the KTM Adventure Days and of course, like every year, the Orange Days. Finally, we will be at all major events and exhibitions in France, directly or in support of our network..

  • MNC Agenda :

MNC: To conclude, what did you order from Santa Claus this year ?
E. A .: The end of wars and terrorism, but here I think humans are stronger than Santa Claus, while lamenting him. A mid-size roadster, and Santa Claus KTM promised me for early 2018 so I have to wait a bit longer. Another motorcycle in the "Progressive" movement and it is Father Christmas Husqvarna who promised it to me for next Christmas. In the meantime, I therefore ordered a new Super Duke 2017 to go play with the Protwin pilots and there, I know it is coming. I also take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy new year 2017 full of happiness, health and a lot of driving..

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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