BMW and Aprilia in talks

BMW and Aprilia are having talks over merging some elements of their production and development plans.

The firms have worked together in the past – on the first generation BMW F650 bikes. They were built by Aprilia from 1993 to 1999 –after which production switched to Berlin.

In a statement on Friday, BMW said the discussions related to “conceivable efforts in development and production,” but added that: “The models of the current one-cylinder series (F-series) are not affected by these considerations.”

It is thought the deal is about opening new markets to BMW.

BMW’s bike division contributes just 2 per cent to the firm’s annual turnover. Its sales were down 0.7 per cent in 2004 – to just over 92,000 bikes.

Aprilia was taken over by Piaggio at the end of last year.

More on this story as it develops in forthcoming issues of MCN.