Ducati announced the start of a new wholly-owned subsidiary for the Brazilian market after its former importing partner, the Izzo Group, ceased operations.

The Izzo Group shut itself down earlier this month following a slow decline. At one point, the Izzo Group was one of Brazil’s largest motorcycle importers, with a list of manufacturers including Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Husqvarna, MV Agusta, Triumph and Zero. Business soured in 2010 after Harley-Davidson ended its distribution agreement over dissastisfaction from the Izzo Group’s level of customer service and the decision to offer multiple brands in its dealerships.

With Brazil representing the world’s third largest motorcycle market, Ducati wasted little time to establish its own subsidiary weeks after the dissolution of the Izzo Group. Headquartered in Sao Paolo, “Ducati do Brasil Indústria e Comércio de Motocicletas”, will take over both the distribution and service of Ducati products in Brazil. Ducati has appointed Ricardo Susini as the managing director of its Brazilian operations, with Marco Truzzi named service and after-sales manager. Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles has signed a distribution deal with the Brazilian dealer network Grupo Izzo, bringing its electric motorcycles to first Brazil, and soon across South America.

Brazil is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for motorcycles, a market Zero hopes to tap with its new distribution deal. Grupo Izzo is based mainly in Brazil with 11 locations, but has plans to expand into other South American countries.

“Zero Motorcycles has experienced exceptional growth throughout Europe, and now we are pleased to be expanding our sales and distribution channels to Brazil to continue the enhancement of Zero’s international reach,” says John Lloyd, vice president of world wide sales for Zero Motorcycles. “Our partnership with Grupo Izzo will allow us to expand Zero Motorcycles’ presence in the Southern Hemisphere while giving motorcycle enthusiasts the opportunity to experience our high performance electric motorcycles throughout South America.”

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