Mercedes AMG sells its stake in MV Agusta motorcycles

The company, which dates back to 1945 and was effectively resurrected after a 17-year hiatus in 1997, is now fully owned by MV Agusta Holding Company, itself a jointly held company consisting mostly of Russian investment dollars.

This is just the latest in a revolving ownership door at MV Agusta. After being resurrected by Cagiva, it was purchased by Malaysian carmaker (and long-time Lotus owner) Proton in 2004, which quickly flipped it to a Swiss financing company. Its Husqvarna subbrand was shortly thereafter sold off to BMW. Harley-Davidson then jumped into the ring for a year before selling to MV Agusta Holding headed by CEO Claudio Castiglioni. AMG climbed aboard with a reported 25-percent stake in 2014, arguably as an answer to Audi's stake in Ducati (and of course BMW Motorrad).

Note that all of this is in reference to the motorcycle maker, and not the MV Agusto Reparto Corse racing team, which is a separate legal entity.

So what does this latest turn of the revolving door mean for this maker of some kick-ass Italian bikes? Well, perhaps that AMG no longer thinks it's a good investment, but MV Agusta says the change will allow it to focus on developing new and exciting products, including a new four-cylinder platform. In any case, the good news for now is that motorcycles should still continue to roll down the line in Northern Italy and into dealerships around the world.