Verge Motorcycles will launch US sales in 2023 in California and has just opened its new US-based Innovation Office in San Francisco.

Verge Motorcycles, the pioneering electric motorcycle company, announced at the CES show in Las Vegas in January plans to start sales in select US states during 2023. At the beginning of this year, the company opened its headquarters and Innovation Office in the iconic Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. 

The new Innovation Office allows Verge to collaborate and build partnerships with the world’s leading technology companies based in Silicon Valley. The company is interested in accelerating its technology development for example in connected vehicles, artificial intelligence, next-generation human-machine interfaces as well as machine vision and sensor-based pattern recognition technologies.

“After our successful launch in Europe, we are now turning our eyes towards the United States, which we believe will be one of Verge’s most important target markets in the future. Opening a new base is our first step towards conquering the US market and the Innovation Office in Silicon Valley ensures we stay ahead in technological development,” says Tuomo Lehtimäki, co-founder of Verge Motorcycles.

All roads lead to California

Verge, manufacturer of the world’s most advanced electric superbikes, is starting its US sales in California in 2023. The company believes the West Coast state offers excellent opportunities for launching operations, as California is one of the most “electrified” states in the US and also boasts the highest sales of motorcycles in the country. In addition, the high-tech expertise in Silicon Valley is attractive to Verge that is looking to bring on board the best engineering talent to further develop the superbike.

Verge has appointed Pekka Pärnänen, a long-time Silicon Valley expert, as COO of its US operations. Pärnänen started in his position at the beginning of February.

“California was a natural choice for our first US base, and our new Innovation Office in San Francisco will enable Verge to take innovation to the next level. Californian consumers are known to be early adopters when it comes to groundbreaking and forward-thinking solutions. They value innovation and are therefore our main target group,” says COO Pekka Pärnänen.

Pärnänen has lived in California for almost 25 years. He has helped hundreds of Nordic growth and start-up companies launch their operations in the US, and he has successfully brought two companies from Finland to the US. He previously served as Director for Global Business Development for a database software developer in the US until it was sold to IBM in 2007.

Verge plans to open its first US flagship store and showroom in Los Angeles in the second half of 2023.