Salvador Caetano enters the two-wheeler market with Multimoto

For many years, Salvador Caetano was synonymous with importing the Toyota brand or operating the country’s largest bus factory, CaetanoBus. Since Sérgio Ribeiro, the Group’s current chief executive, took the helm, the company has accelerated its expansion, grown its business and broadened the horizons of this long-established Portuguese firm. In under 10 years, the Salvador Caetano Group has expanded significantly.

For the Group’s chief executive, this journey began with the relaunch of Hyundai, followed by further investments and operations across several European and African markets. More recently, Chinese brands such as BYD, Xpeng and Dongfeng have been the principal focus. Now, the investment is moving into an entirely new area: two wheels.

Salvador Caetano enters the two-wheeler market

Salvador Caetano has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the Multimoto Group, Portugal’s leading distributor of several motorcycle and mobility vehicle brands. Its portfolio includes familiar names such as Kawasaki, Benelli, Keeway, Segway, UM, Linhai, Kymco, CF Moto, Morbideli, Cyclone, TM and even the exclusive Bimota. These brands come from a range of countries - Japan, Italy and, above all, China - reflecting both the sector’s diversity and its ongoing transformation.

With a strong foothold in Portugal and growing activity in Spain, the Multimoto Group is now being incorporated into Salvador Caetano’s diversification strategy. According to Sérgio Ribeiro, the Group’s chief executive, “this is an important step towards strategic investment in this business area, fostering its national and international expansion”.

A broader mobility strategy

This is more than a commercial transaction; it signals a repositioning. Salvador Caetano is no longer simply the company that imports cars or builds buses in Vila Nova de Gaia, near Porto. It has evolved into a multifaceted industrial and commercial platform, responsive to mobility trends that may now involve an urban scooter, a high-capacity motorcycle or even an ATV.

The Multimoto purchase also marks the first major move by one of Portugal’s leading automotive distribution groups into the world of two wheels.

Japanese, Italian and Chinese motorcycle brands

There is symbolic significance in Salvador Caetano strengthening its position through brands spanning three regions: Japan, Italy and, particularly, China. China has become a global force in motorcycle production and, as in the automotive industry, is steadily gaining a greater presence in Europe.

It is worth remembering that the Group’s growth in Portugal began with a Japanese brand: Toyota. The Portuguese company is therefore reinventing itself once again. After cars, buses and mobility solutions, it is now the turn of two wheels.