Yamaha hints at MWT-9 launch by 2018
Yamaha CEO says firm’s two-year plan involves a new ‘vehicle category’
Yamaha’s President and CEO Hiroyuki Yanagi has hinted at the firm’s future direction, saying it will move into a new ‘vehicle category’, a likely reference to leaning three-wheelers.
Yamaha insiders have already confirmed to Visordown that we’re going to see a production version of the MWT-9 concept, a leaning reverse-trike using the MT-09 engine.
It will join the existing Tricity to expand Yamaha’s three-wheeler line-up.
Hiroyuki Yanagi’s comments came in a Q&A session on the firm’s annual report, in which he outlined plans for the next two years, an indication we’ll see the MWT-9 by 2018 at the latest.
He said Yamaha had introduced 250 new models across its entire product range since 2013, and another 270 were planned.
When it comes to more conventional bikes, the plan is to continue its successful platform-sharing ideas, reducing the overall number of different engines and chassis while expanding the model line-up.
Last week we saw a spy shot of a new middleweight Ténéré model using the MT-07 engine.
The annual report says: ‘We will proactively launch distinctive new products that convey Yamaha’s strong brand power.’
The report shows the firm’s finances are healthy, with improvements in sales and operating income but a slight dip in net income – something that’s blamed largely on one-time factors, particularly additional corporate income taxes.
With that strong performance as a background and a positive forecast for the worldwide motorcycle market, the firm appears to be adopting increasingly bold plans.
