More OEMs Confirm for EICMA
As the motorcycle industry worldwide continues to watch the COVID situation in Italy (especially), hoping that nothing will derail this year's EICMA (Milan, November 23 - 28), a slew of good news about preparations for the show includes confirmation by Yamaha, MV Agusta, Kymco, Motori Minarelli and Fantic that they are among the OEMs that they will exhibit.
The background to this, of course, being the 2020 announcements by both BMW and KTM that they were going to abandon the major international shows, and the pandemic-driven decision to cancel EICMA last year.
Yamaha Motor Europe says it made this decision "thanks to the positive progression of the international and national vaccination programs and the steady easing of the restrictive measures against COVID-19 in Europe, and Italy in particular.
"The expectation is that by the end of November visiting large exhibitions will be possible again. Preventive safety measures to contain COVID-19 will still be implemented, in cooperation with the EICMA organization, to secure a pleasant and safe visit to the show. In that respect, the size of the Yamaha stand will be enlarged in comparison to 2019 to allow visitors more personal space."
Eric de Seynes, President and CEO of Yamaha Motor Europe N.V., is quoted as saying: "The decision to attend EICMA was not an easy one to make for obvious reasons. However, after having observed the trend related to the evolution of COVID-19 and being reassured by the EICMA organization that we can provide a safe environment for all visitors, we believe it is the right decision to support the return of such an event.
"With arguably the largest international reach, EICMA has great significance for our industry, being a unique moment and place where the motorcycle community can come together to feel the reaction from media and customers to the new products, keeping the connection with them alive and providing inspiration towards future trends. While we have yet to return to what most of us consider normality, this year's event provides the first opportunity for enthusiasts to come together and be connected again physically, rather than virtually."