Claudio Rizzotto: playing with the best Europeans
With 409 registrations, MV Agusta posted an increase of + 35.4% on the French motorcycle market. Claudio Rizzotto, head of the French network, draws up for MNC the 2011 balance sheet of the Italian brand and reveals its 2012 objectives.. Interview.
Site: What do you think of the general evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2011?
Claudio Rizzotto, responsible for the MV Agusta France network: The French market is one of the most important in Europe.
MNC: What is your assessment of your year? ?
C. R .: Our 2011 French balance sheet is good, with constant progress over the past seven years.
MNC: Are you fully satisfied with the results of your best sales ?
C. R .: We are satisfied with all of our references, with a homogeneous distribution between F4 and Brutale.
MNC: Which models have you been disappointed with in sales and why ?
C. R .: With the launch on the market in March 2011 of the Brutale 920 at 11,990 €, we expected a major increase in consumer interest. This model caused a lot of ink to flow and elicited many reactions … but sales remained confidential. Difficult to determine the precise causes, however the price that we wanted accessible (for a full MV Agusta) did not prove us right. It will certainly take longer to assert our 920.
MNC: Immates are not everything: how would you qualify your balance sheet? ?
C. R .: Our balance sheet is doing well, despite difficult economic times. But we must remain particularly vigilant and properly manage our growth.
MNC: In your opinion, have your new products for 2011 passed their first year? ?
C. R .: As a whole, our novelties have marked the spirits, even if I repeat it the B4 920 has not yet really found its followers. It’s a question of time…
MNC: What was the pleasant surprise 2011 ?
C. R .: The good surprise … That the passion and history of our brand gather more and more followers !
MNC: What was the worst ?
C. R .: The loss of our president, for us and the motorcycling world (read, NDLR).
MNC: According to you, what was the highlight of 2011 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
C. R .: Undoubtedly the position and character of European manufacturers.
MNC: The Motorcycle Show was back in Paris this year: what is your assessment and what improvements would you make to the 2013 edition ?
C. R .: The return of the Motorcycle Show to Paris coincides with a difficult global economic moment, as if to mock the "economic bad luck". In other words: it takes a lot more to destroy our passion and our culture! The record participation in this event proves it. When it comes to improvements I would just say that fantasy and courage should always be in pole position.
MNC: How were your 2012 novelties (F3 and Brutale 675 in particular) received by your network and by all bikers ?
C. R .: Our three-cylinders have had a success commensurate with the brand’s glorious past. Our dealers are enthusiastic and very motivated: they know that with these new products, we will play in the court of the best Europeans.
MNC: In 2012, what will be your objectives ?
C. R .: Our 2012 objectives, with the F3 and the B3, will first of all be to meet the enormous demand already present among our dealers. In terms of network, we want to find the right number of professionals covering the whole of France, and we are almost there. The happy owners of our motorcycles will be our best representatives, they are the ones who will talk about it the best..
MNC: What will be your major events in 2012 ?
C. R .: For purely economic reasons, we will not be involved in competitions in 2012. We have to progress one step at a time! However, requests arrive by the hundreds via private teams. So there will certainly be a show, and not just with the three-cylinder…
MNC: In conclusion, which maxim would best illustrate your 2011 balance sheet? ?
C. R .: Among the many phrases of Claudio Castiglioni, I choose: "there are many beautiful motorcycles in the world, but owning an MV Agusta is something else".
Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE
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