Globe Drive

With superbikes and scooters, Hendrik von Kuenheim is making his mark on BMW Motorcycles (Motorad) after taking over as president a year and a half ago.

First out the door will be the BMW S1000RR, which goes on sale in December starting at $13,800 (U.S.). It's loaded with electronic technology, including traction control, and is powered by a 1,000-cc inline-four cranking out close to 200 horsepower.

It's Beemer's response to the Japanese and Italian competition in the World Superbike Championship Series.

Way down at the other end of the market, BMW is getting back into scooters. They tried that segment about 10 years ago with the C1. It was an enclosed two-wheeler that was supposed to be a car alternative in crowded cities. It had an aluminum roll cage creating a car-like safety cell and a little 124-cc gas engine.

“ The motorcycle will have a huge comeback. It can solve a lot of problems in urban transportation”

Sales were terrible and it was dropped after two years. Although they were never on sale in North America, I drove one in Europe. I found myself quite immobilized by the crisscrossed seat belts and had difficulty keeping it upright at stops. But if I were ever to crash on a bike, I would want it to be on that one.

While he's now running BMW's worldwide motorcycle business, von Kuenheim is well known in Canada from his six years as CEO of BMW Group Canada.

Vaughan: Hendrik, I've always suspected that as head of Motorad you're developing technology to build the next urban car. Are you working on that?

Von Kuenheim: No. We have a car company. We don't need another one called BMW Motorad.

But one thing is for sure, the motorcycle will have a huge comeback. It can solve a lot of problems in urban transportation.

Two-wheeled? Three-wheeled? Four-wheeled?

Two-wheeled. Three-wheeled. Four-wheeled. Everything is possible.

Fundamentally today, the motorcycle is a tool for fun. After work or on the weekends, you go out for a nice drive.

But on top of this, I think the whole motorcycle business will separate between those fun products and the urban transportation vehicles.

It's something that BMW hasn't been in since our C1. That was a great product but 10 years ahead of its time – the safest motorcycle ever built. Now we need to learn on this.

Are you saying the bad experience with the C1 has frightened you away from making vehicles like that again?

I have to reject that. It was not a bad experience at all. It was ahead of its time.

The product had, in the mind of the customer, two or three shortcomings. It was a little bit top-heavy, it was a little bit slow, maybe a little bit too much engine noise. These things we can correct easily.

Also some people wanted it to carry a second passenger. Safety on a motorcycle is much more difficult to accomplish with two passengers.

We will surprise you and your colleagues in the next few weeks.

With a new C1?

It's something for the segment I call the scooter market.

That segment is booming everywhere in the world today with engines from 50 cc to 800 cc. BMW will be in that segment with a very convincing product.

Will it be an electric vehicle?

The cost of lithium batteries on top of the cost of an electric motor on top of the cost of motor management and cooling etcetera makes the cost more than double compared to a combustion engine.

The consumer today is not willing to pay more than double the price. Some consumers may be willing to for their conscience but that market is very, very small. The real breakthroughs in this area will come in the years 2012, 2013, 2014.

Tell me about the superbike.

That motorcycle is the S1000 RR and production has now started.

This product targets a group that is 15 years younger that the typical BMW customer. That segment, with the exception of last year, has been one of the fastest-growing segments. It has gone from 100,000 vehicles to over 200,000 vehicles in a very short period and we are very keen on this market.

The S1000 RR is an amazing machine.

Michael Vaughan is co-host with Jeremy Cato of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.