The acquisition of Brose Antriebstechnik GmbH & Co. KG by Yamaha will take effect on 1st August 2025. From that date, Brose’s ebike business will officially belong to Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. As announced in March, Yamaha subsidiary Motor eBike Systems (YMESG) will take over this part of the business within the group. For the time being, the entire operation will operate under the name BAT GmbH.
With today’s announcement by both partners, it is now certain that the relevant supervisory authorities have approved the merger. This was essential for Yamaha and Brose to be able to put their plans into action. Both companies had already reached a basic agreement on the move earlier.
Brose to provide support during transition phase following sale to Yamaha
In addition, intensive negotiations between Brose and Yamaha on the practical details of the merger had delayed the completion of the takeover, which was originally expected in June 2025. However, this process does not appear to be fully completed yet. Particularly questions regarding the future strategic direction under Yamaha’s new leadership are still open and will be clarified in the coming weeks and months.
In a remarkably brief statement, Brose announced that it would continue to provide some of its well-known services on a temporary basis. This is intended to ensure that the transition following the sale is as smooth as possible ‘for employees, customers and partners.’ The company said it was ‘confident that the business will develop positively under the leadership of Yamaha Motor.’
Berlin as future headquarters
It is certain that Yamaha will continue to run the business from the former Brose E-Bike headquarters in Berlin. The Japanese company had previously agreed with Brose that YMESG could use the development resources available there for the planning and design of its own new products. This is a positive outcome of the negotiations, especially for the workforce in the German capital. It confirms the prediction made in May by Daniel Wolde-Giorgis, head of Brose E-Bike. ‘The well-known products will still be manufactured and the team will remain together in Berlin,’ he announced at the time. Brose Antriebstechnik GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft most recently employed 120 people in Berlin. They were previously responsible for the development, production and sale of ebike systems.
Qore becomes brand name for Yamaha drives
As an initial response to the pending takeover, Brose renamed its drive system Qore in May 2025. The manufacturer also appeared under this name at Eurobike 2025 in Frankfurt am Main in June. Qore is simply a renaming of the Brose Drive 3 introduced in 2024. Technically, everything remains the same. However, the drive system has since been renamed Qore Drive 3.
The drive currently consists of the following components:
- Qore Drive 3 Peak motor
- Qore Battery InTube 800 Wh battery
- Qore Battery InTube 650 Wh battery
- Qore charger
- Qore Control Allround control unit
The Qore Control Integrate display, the Qore Control Integrate Connected display with integrated IoT module and the Qore Remote control unit are set to expand the system in the 2027 model year. An additional in-tube battery called Qore Battery SlideIn has also been announced. Smaller and lighter than the existing batteries, it will provide a capacity of 500 watt hours. There are also plans for a range extender for Qore. Brose has not yet announced when the smaller battery and range extender will be available. The manufacturer has merely stated that it intends to gradually expand the current ebike drive. It also expressed hope that third-party components such as ABS, E-Shift and GPS could be integrated in the future. We expect Yamaha to stick to this roadmap.
In any case, the presentation of the new Qore Drive 3 Power drive in autumn this year can be considered a certainty.
Pictures: Brose Antriebstechnik GmbH und Co. Kommanditgesellschaft