Hungarian motorcycle brand to be relaunched next year

After being off the market for 32 years, the legendary Hungarian motorcycle brand "Pannónia" will be re-launched in 2008, reports business daily Napi Gazdaság. Plans for the 650 cc, single-cylinder motorcycle have been completed, and most of the machines for manufacture have been ordered, according to CEO Imre Mázló. The vehicles will be manufactured in Várpalota by Magyar Motorkerékpár Fejlesztő Kft., which is partly owned by the local government.

The newly-developed motorcycles will evoke the mood of the 50s and 60s but use state-of-the-art technology, Mázló said. The manufacture of parts will start in spring at a rented hall in Várpalota, and the prototype will be presented at the Pannónia Festival to be held in the town in early May. The European debut of the bike will take place in Milan or Paris in the second half of the year.

Next year, a new manufacturing plant will be built in a local industrial park, where initially 15 to 20 workers will be employed. The Ft 300 million (€1.18 million) investment will enable assembly of 500 to 700 motorcycles a year, from parts mostly manufactured in Hungary.

Only one model will be produced at the onset, but if it the project is successful, the brand's range will be expanded to include other models, including a sidecar.

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