It’s Official, Ducati Is Not For Sale

A few months earlier, we reported that Volkswagen Group were scrapping the plan to sell Ducati. Well, the news has been confirmed now by Rupert Stadler, Chief Executive Officer, Audi Germany. Stadler said that VW Group-owned Audi is capable of bearing the transformation cost of Ducati, without having to sell the premium motorcycle brand.

Also read -  Ducati Multistrada 1260S : First Ride Review

Stadler was quoted saying, “I can assure you that Ducati belongs to the Audi family. Ducati is the perfect implementation of our premium philosophy in the world of motorbikes.”

Earlier this year, Volkswagen, the parent company of Audi and Ducati was evaluating options for selling Ducati and the transmission maker Renk, in order to settle the diesel emission scandal lawsuit. Volkswagen even hired an investment banking company, ‘Evercore Partners’ to solicit bids on Ducati Motor Holding. However, the German company faced immense opposition from the board's advisory group, particularly from the German Labour union which holds half the seats on the advisory board.

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The news of Ducati being on sale had perked up many ears all around the world. Some of them included Bajaj, Eicher Motors (owners of Royal Enfield) and Hero MotoCorp from India. Eicher had come the closest to Volkswagen’s asking price of £1.5 billion, with a bid of £1.36 billion. Other international bidders included the likes of Italy's Benetton family and the Harley-Davidson group.

This move doesn't come as a surprise since Ducati and Lamborghini have churned out good profit for its parent company in the last nine months. This has helped VW in settling the dieselgate lawsuit. However, some investors and interested buyers still expect that Volkswagen could change its mind and opt to sell Ducati, which according to them has the least strategic importance for the parent company. But that really seems unlikely now. For more updates on this, stay tuned to ZigWheels.