McLaren Applied's Lavoie in negotiations to acquire e-bike brand VanMoof
Rumors suggest that McLaren Applied's Lavoie, an electric scooter brand, is in talks to buy e-bike brand VanMoof. The Dutch company was declared bankrupt in July, despite the over US$180 million of funding raised and the sale of approximately 200,000 electric bicycles, such as the X4 and S4 models revealed earlier this year.
An unnamed source told Reuters that the negotiation between VanMoof and Lavoie was at "quite an advanced stage", though neither company has made an official announcement. It is unclear precisely what the takeover could look like, with the report suggesting Lavoie aims to gain control of as much of VanMoof as possible. Lavoie, founded by McLaren Applied in 2021, unveiled the Series 1 e-scooter earlier this year. The model uses patent-pending unique Flowfold technology and is expected to be delivered to the first customers this November.
It appears that Micromobility.com also attempted to acquire VanMoof, though the brand rejected this offer. At the time of writing, it is understood that two main parties are bidding on the company; the name of the second has yet to be disclosed. Whether or when the deal between VanMoof and McLaren Applied's Lavoie will occur remains to be seen.
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