On 1st October 2013, Husqvarna Motorcycles

On 31 January 2013 BMW Group announced that Pierer Industrie AG bought Husqvarna for an undisclosed amount. The company is headed by Stephan Pierer (CEO of KTM). Pierer Industrie AG is 51% owner of KTM and 100% owner of Husqvarna.[1]

On 1st October 2013, Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH is created, based at Mattighofen in Austria, and a subsidiary of KTM AG, holding at the head of KTM Sportmotorcycle AG and Husqvarna Motorcycles Gmbh.

On 11 October 2013, production starts at Mattighofen. We can read on Husqvarna's website : "The recently accomplished acquisition of the motorcycle brand Husqvarna by the KTM Group will bring a further upgrade to the production site in Mattighofen (Upper Austria). The Members of the Board of KTM AG, as well as the staff of the main plant followed with great pleasure the production of the first Husqvarna that was assembled in Mattighofen. KTM CEO Stefan Pierer explains the corporate strategy as follows: “By the acquisition of the brand Husqvarna, the KTM Group expects an additional growth of approximately 15,000 motorcycles in the next few years.”

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As with many motorcycle manufacturers, Husqvarna first began producing bicycles in the late 19th century. In 1903, they made the jump to motorcycle manufacturing. The first "Husky" motorcycles used imported engines, and it wasn't until 1918 that Husqvarna began producing machines built entirely in-house. Around that time they secured a contract with the Swedish Army and began entering cross-country and long-distance motorcycle racing events.[2] In 1920, Husqvarna established its own engine factory and the first engine to be designed was a 550 cc four-stroke 50-degree side-valve V-twin engine, similar to those made by companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian. Although they once made motorcycles for street use, and raced at road circuits such as the Isle of Man TT prior to World War II, they are better known for producing world championship winning motocross and enduro bikes.

Husqvarna competed in Grand Prix road racing in the 350cc and 500cc classes during the 1930s and was Sweden's largest motorcycle manufacturer by 1939. All of the racing bikes were based on a 50-degree V-twin prototype built by Folke Mannerstedt in 1931. They had solid-valve aluminum cylinders, an oddity at a time when most bikes had sodium cooling. The company team beat the Norton Works team at the Swedish GP in 1931 with a 1-2 finish by Ragnar Sundqvist and Gunnar Kalen. This and the next year's success led to a full commitment to the GP tracks with Stanley Woods and Ernie Nott joining the Husqvarna riding team. That year, Nott finished 3rd in the 350cc Junior TT and Woods ran out of gas 8 miles before the finish of the Senior TT. In 1935 the company withdrew racing support, but new bikes were still produced and raced privately,[3] while the company focused on producing a new 2-stroke, 2-speed commuter bike.[2] That year, Stanley Woods won the Swedish GP (marking the fourth year in a row that a "Husky" had won) on a 500cc Huqvarna motorcycle that weighted 279 pounds.[3]

In the 1960s, their lightweight, two-stroke engined off-road bikes helped make the once dominant British four-stroke motorcycles obsolete. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Husqvarna was a dominant force in the motocross world, winning 14 Motocross world championships in the 125 cc, 250 cc and 500 cc divisions, 24 enduro world championships and 11 Baja 1000 victories.