Which brand would break your heart the most if it were acquired by Private Equity? – Jalopnik

Since Polaris brought it back, Indian has made some really cool motorcycles that also use technology that isn’t stuck in the 1950s. It was fun to see them build a lineup that’s about a thousand times more interesting to modern riders than most of what Harley-Davidson has to offer, even if Indian’s success required Polaris to take Victory out of the shed and give it the Old Yeller treatment. This week, however, we learned that the party is officially over. Polaris sold Indian to a private equity firm, and with that Indian might as well be dead.

That doesn’t mean India will disappear overnight. No, the most likely scenario is that the new people in charge will make some changes that you won’t notice at first, and then, before you know it, the motorcycle company you used to love will look unrecognizable and everything you love about it will be gone. Zombie Indian will then limp along for a few more years until the whole thing eventually ends as private equity takeovers always do – with Indian suffering the same fate as Victory almost a decade ago.

Or maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s not like anyone at Jalopnik would know anything about a private equity acquisition going bad.

It sucks to see India heading towards disaster, but I also suspect most people reading this are not die-hard Indian fans. Maybe you have some affection for the brand or you just like the way some of the motorcycles look, but you’re probably not heartbroken about the private equity news. Most people just don’t ride motorcycles, and most bikers don’t ride Indians. On the other hand, there is no reason to assume that private equity would limit itself to buying motorcycle brands. It is entirely possible that PE could also acquire another car company at some point.

Granted, many people remember the disaster that was Cerberus’ takeover of Chrysler, but you never know. It could happen. And if that were the case, which brand would you break the most if it were acquired by private equity? Personally, I would much rather see Mazda die than stick around long enough to be ruined by private equity, because you know the driving dynamics are the first thing to be lost. Well, that, or the MX-5. There’s no way a PE-controlled Mazda would continue to sell the Miata, let alone develop a new one, right?

That said, there are many more automakers that private equity could ruin. What’s your pick for the worst private equity takeover? Whichever it is, let us know in the comments.