SWM: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- Private
SWM was founded in Milan in 1971 by Pietro Sironi and Fausto Vergani and spent the 1970s and early 1980s building trials, enduro and motocross machines alongside Fantic, Bultaco and Montesa. It went into liquidation in 1984 and disappeared.
The Chongqing group Shineray bought the name in 2014 and restarted production at Biandronno, near Varese, in the plant BMW had used for Husqvarna. The revival was led by the engineer Ampelio Macchi, previously of Cagiva, Aprilia and Husqvarna, and six models between 300 and 650cc were shown at the Milan show that year; some engines descend from Husqvarna designs developed with Cagiva.
The current range covers enduro, supermoto, dual-sport, naked, scrambler and road models including the Stormbreaker V1200, plus scooters and electric bicycles. SWM sells across the larger European markets, and Shineray separately uses the SWM name on a line of cars in China.
Italian marque owned since 2014 by Shineray Group of Chongqing. Motorcycles are assembled in Italy; Shineray also uses the SWM name on a separate line of cars sold in China as 斯威.
The original company was liquidated in 1984; the marque was revived by Shineray in 2014.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 斯威 “srr-WAY” no literal meaning; a Chinese transliteration of the letters SWM |
|---|---|
| Also written | SWM Motorcycles and Speedy Working Motors |
| Owner | Shineray Group |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Biandronno, Italy |
| Origin | Italy |
| Vehicles | Motorcycles |
| Segment | Motorcycle |
| United States | Not sold in the United States — No United States distribution was found for SWM motorcycles as at 2026-09-04. |
| Official site | swm-motorcycles.it |
| Founded | 1971 in Milan by Pietro Sironi and Fausto Vergani |
| Liquidation and revival | Liquidated in 1984; revived by Shineray in 2014 |
| Where they are built | Biandronno, Varese, in the former Husqvarna plant bought from BMW Group in 2014 |
| SWM in China | Shineray launched SWM-badged cars in the Chinese market in 2016 |
Who owns SWM?
Gong Daxing controls Shineray Group since 1997.
Gong Daxing founded Shineray Group in 1997 and chairs it. The group is unlisted and no personal percentage was published in the sources we read.
Shineray Group owns SWM at 100% since 2014.
Shineray Group bought the dormant Italian marque SWM in 2014 and restarted production at the former Husqvarna plant in Biandronno, Varese, acquired from BMW Group.
The full ownership page for SWM · Is SWM Chinese?
Where SWM is sold
Recorded in 6 market s: Italy, Spain, France, Germany, United Kingdom and CN. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | IT | Chinese cars in Italy |
| Spain | ES | Chinese cars in Spain |
| France | FR | Chinese cars in France |
| Germany | DE | Chinese cars in Germany |
| United Kingdom | GB | Chinese cars in the United Kingdom |
| China | CN | no page yet |
SWM: questions people ask
- Who owns SWM?
- Shineray Group of Chongqing, which bought the dormant Italian marque in 2014 and restarted production near Varese.
- Are SWM motorcycles made in Italy?
- Yes. Assembly is at Biandronno in the province of Varese, in the plant that previously built Husqvarnas for BMW.
- Why are there SWM cars in China?
- Shineray also uses the SWM name, written 斯威 in Chinese, on a separate range of cars it launched in China in 2016. They are unrelated to the Italian motorcycles beyond the shared owner and badge.
Related
Sources for SWM
- Wikipedia, SWM (motorcycles). Read .
- Shineray Group, Shineray Group corporate site. Read . Group business lines including SWM Motors and Italian operations.
- iChongqing, How Chongqing motorcycle makers are winning Europe's premium market. Read . Shineray's Italian acquisition and European sales position.