A Ducati with four rings

Today we were covering news of great interest in our world, motorcycling, and it appears that Ducati is quite close to changing hands in the coming months. Along these lines, information has emerged today suggesting that Audi and the Volkswagen group are set to become the future owners of the Italian brand.

The brand’s financial problems are well known, with its debt estimated at around one billion dollars. In this way, Audi has put forward a low-ball offer that would allow it to take over the Bologna-based brand for practically nothing: in other words, Audi would assume the debt and little more.

A few years ago there was talk of the German group’s desire to acquire some well-known motorcycle brand; at the time, it was considered reviving the Horex brand, but with Ducati in the picture we could be looking at one of the biggest mergers or acquisitions in history.

Audi is not the only company interested, as other brands are also circling, such as Mahindra, the Indian automotive company that we saw competing in the 125cc class at the World Championship last year.

This news is in keeping with the crisis we are all immersed in. It fills us with both doubts and hopes: on one hand it could be a genuine “jackpot,” since imagining these two brands working toward a common goal could be incredible in its outcome; on the other hand, how much of Ducati’s essence would remain if this went ahead?

We will wait to see how the news develops, but we know that Audi has until mid-April to make its position known.

Source: Carmagazine.co.uk