If there is to be any new Nimbus motorcycles, an additional 10 million kroner will need to be raised via a share issue. Partly because production in Denmark is more expensive.
The Danish motorcycle brand Nimbus has been resurrected. But there is a serious lack of money in the coffers. Specifically, director Claus Stovlbæk Clausen is seeking 10 million kroner in a share issue.
– It is more expensive to produce in Denmark, but we are holding on because Danish quality and design matter, it says in a press release.
According to the company itself, 1,225 Danes have already thrown money at them. This has resulted in investments worth 11.5 million kroner. But there is still almost double that.
– Our project is driven by Danish investors who believe in the idea of an electric Nimbus motorcycle. The first ones bought shares based on a sketch on a napkin. Today we have an e-bike on the street and an e-motorcycle on the drawing board, says Claus Stovlbæk Clausen.
According to the director, it costs Nimbus 20 percent more to keep production on Danish soil. But it is a conscious choice, he says.
However, it will not be quite the help that the Nimbus people initially planned. The engine was to be obtained from Energica. But they threw in the towel here back in October. It is not clear where Nimbus will instead obtain the driveline from.
– We could have found investors abroad, but we want to be Danish-owned and keep our design tradition at home. When production moves out, the decisions follow, and what does a German or Chinese know about Danish design culture?, asks Claus Stovlbæk Clausen.
The Danish motorbike and electric bike enthusiasts are far from the only ones who need to find money. In fact, the vast majority of those who have something to do with four or two wheels need to.
For many companies, however, the situation is even more serious. Gearbox giant ZF, for example, is to lay off as many as 14,000 employees in an attempt to find 46 billion Danish kroner in savings over the next few years.
And at Volkswagen, management insists that it is necessary to close several factories in Germany, something the brand has never done before.
