Pontedera - Schiranna, July 24 th , 2001 - Today, the 24 th of July 2001, the agreement ratifying the entry of Piaggio in the share capital of MV Agusta has been signed. The agreement to be finalized in the coming weeks provides for the subscription by Piaggio Holding SpA to a capital increase in MV Agusta SpA equal to 20% of the equity stake. Piaggio entering the capital of MV Agusta signifies that immediate financial, industrial and commercial synergies will be developed by the two Groups, both strong in their brands of extraordinary prestige and fame worldwide that identify with the motorcycle history regarding style, technology, innovation and top racing commitment. Besides, both parties acknowledge that the agreement may foresee further developments at medium term in the integration between Piaggio and MV Agusta, of which technical and operational aspects are under study. The know-how in the diverse sectors and the historical and experimental inheritance that Piaggio as well as MV Agusta are proud of, represent indeed a point of reference on a world level and could allow to the Group stemming from the union of the two industrial realities to compete on a global level with the best international competition. MV Agusta, with its head office in Schiranna (Varese) and Claudio Castiglioni as its chairman, was established in 1978 to manufacture motorcycles under the name of Cagiva Motor that was subsequently changed into MV Agusta. Presently, it stands for one of the most important European motorcycle reality thanks not only to the manufactured brands (MV Agusta, Husqvarna, Cagiva) but also to the constant and deliberate commitment to design avant-garde bikes, summaries of technical and stylistic innovations. MV Agusta has recently launched a program to re-organize the production systems and update the technologies and equipment needed for the design and production of the most important strategic motorcycle components. The brands manufactured by MV Agusta can claim 37 Manufacturer World Championships, 39 Rider's World Championships and 270 Grand Prix victories; 64 are the world titles Riders/Manufacturers that Husqvarna won in the all-terrain racing activity. In the 2000 financial year, MV Agusta produced 23,000 motorcycles, resulting in an overall turnover of 240 billion Lire. Founded in 1884 and since December 1999 controlled by Morgan Grenfell Private Equity, Piaggio (President Dante Razzano, Managing Director Stefano Rosselli Del Turco), with its headquarters in Pontedera (Pisa), is the leading Group in the two-wheeled European market with more than 480,000 vehicles sold last year under the brands Piaggio, Vespa and Gilera. The Group's sales in the 2000 financial year amount to 2,006 billion Lire. At the beginning of July, the Piaggio Group has finally tied up the acquisition process of 100% of Derbi, the historical Spanish manufacturing company founded in 1922, located at Martorelles (Barcellona) that in the year 2000 sold 60,000 units (scooters, vehicles with gears, automatic vehicles) with total sales of 16,000 million Pesetas.

-- pdonnell (r1100rt@pacbell.net), August 01, 2001