Soon after announcing its GT sports car, the newly formed Mercedes-AMG high-performance sub-brand has announced a counter move to the Audi-Ducati marriage. Not only does the Stuttgart giant now own a quarter of MV Agusta – which produces three- and four-cylinder high-performance bikes – but it has also all but rubber-stamped a long-term deal to collaborate on marketing and sales operations. Whether this means we’ll see such collaborations as the 2012 Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition (now hastily forgotten by both parties) remains to be seen. Another avenue ripe for potential exploration is technology-sharing in respect of increasingly stringent emissions regulations: as an example, VW earlier this year launched a concept car that employed a Ducati V-twin as its sole power source.

Swabian-Italian powerplay

MV Agusta was founded in 1945 near Milan, in Cascina Costa. Along the way, it has not only won more than 75 World Championship rider and constructor titles, but also acquired the Cagiva brand. “In MV Agusta, we have found the perfect two-wheel partner for Mercedes-AMG,” says the latter’s manager, Tobias Moers. “This manufacturer and Mercedes-AMG are connected not only by a long and successful racing history, but also by shared values and goals for the future.”

Photo: Daimler