Canadian powersports manufacturer BRP has entered an agreement to acquire electric vehicle (EV) research and development center Great Wall Motor Austria (GWMA) with the goal of half of the company’s sales coming from electric products by 2035.
The company announced July 7 its plans to acquire Kottingbrunn, Austria-based GMWA from Chinese auto manufacturer Great Wall Motor for an undisclosed amount. BRP is looking to develop all EV components in-house, BRP’s Chief Technology Officer Thomas Uhr told Auto Finance News.
GMWA, which specializes in electric motors and inverters, will remain its own company under the BRP brand. It will be managed by BRP-Rotax, BRP’s internal combustion engine development and manufacturing arm, Uhr said.
All GMWA’s 53 engineers and technicians will remain employed by the company after the acquisition. “Some of the people at GWMA have been developing nothing but inverters and electric engines in the field of automotive for 20 years,” Uhr said.
Quicker road to all-EV fleet
The acquisition allows BRP to be three to five years faster in building the manufacturer’s research and development know-how and moves the company closer to providing at least one electric offering in each product line by model year 2026, Uhr said.
GMWA “was really a perfect fit for us to accelerate our growth and know-how on the electrification side dramatically,” he said. BRP introduced the all-electric Can-Am motorcycle in March as the first step in electrifying its lineup.
The powersports manufacturer began the process of acquiring GWMA in January, Uhr said. The acquisition is contingent on final approvals and is expected to close within the next two weeks, he added.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated BRP’s electric vehicle targets. BRP is aiming for half of the company’s sales to be for electric products by 2035.
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