Ducati sold 9,817 motorcycles in the first three months of 2013, according to the first quarter report from parent company Audi. The first quarter sales result represents a 5.2% decline from the 10,360 Ducati motorcycles sold in the same quarter of 2012 when the company was owned by Investindustrial.

Sales were down in Europe where the economy continues to struggle. According to Ducati, the worldwide demand for 500cc and larger motorcycles contracted by 17.0%, so Ducati’s sales decrease wasn’t as bad as for other companies.

The U.S. continues to be Ducati’s largest sales market, with the company delivering 1,605 motorcycles to customers over the first quarter. Continue Reading »

Ducati sold a record 44,102 motorcycles in 2012 while reporting a 16% increase in revenue over 2011. The positive news was announced as part of new parent company Audi‘s annual press conference in Igolstadt, Germany.

Worldwide revenues totaled 606 million euros (US$789 million) including more than 200 million euros since Audi officially acquired Ducati in July 2012. Motorcycle sales were up about 4% from 2011. Sales were particularly strong in the U.S., which accounted for sales of more than 9,300 units in 2012. U.S. sales were also up 21% compared to 2011.

“The biggest single market was the United States with more than 9,300 motorcycles sold – twice as many as in 2003,” says Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of the Audi. “Why do I mention that? Because the relevant overall market has contracted by more than half in the same period. So Ducati successfully utilized one of the most difficult times in the American motorcycle business as an opportunity.” Continue Reading »

Ducati has named Bernhard Gobmeier the new general manager of Ducati Corse, handing the former BMW Superbike racing director the reins to the company’s racing program. Gobmeier replaces Filippo Preziosi (pictured above) who will be reassigned to the post of director of research and development for Ducati, shifting his focus from racing to developing new products.

The personnel change carries two storylines. On the one hand, Preziosi’s tenure as GM of Ducati Corse was a disappointing period for the factory MotoGP program, highlighted by the two disastrous seasons with Valentino Rossi and the continuing struggle to make the Desmosedici race bike competitive.

The other plot thread is the appointment of a German to lead the Italian manufacturer’s racing program. Ducati is now, of course, owned by Audi, and the appointment of Gobmeier has the German automaker’s fingerprints all over it. As the official announcement reads, Gobmeier’s role is to “to enter the new phase of development for Ducati’s racing activities and to achieve the targets set during the recent acquisition by the Audi Group.” Continue Reading »

Another sign of the Audi-Ducati relationship has popped up at the motorcycle manufacturer’s headquarters in Bologna, Italy.

Pictured here is an Audi A1 sports hatchback dressed in paint inspired by the Ducati 1199 Panigale S Tricolore. The special color scheme includes the Ducati logo on the hood, Italian red, white and green striping and red alloy wheels.

It’s not clear at this point if this is merely a promotional concept or if there are plans for a special edition version. If Audi does decide to produce a special edition A1 Ducati, we hope they do away with the large hood logo and go with a more understated look. The Panigale is eye-catching already, moreso in the Tricolore colors, but the badging is at least much more subtle than on this A1. Continue Reading »

Ducati and its new owner Audi announced a new contest ahead of the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The two brands used the rescheduled competition as one of their first collaborative promotional opportunities since Audi acquired Ducati earlier this year.

The 90th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb also provided the opportunity to present two models, the 2013 version of the Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak Edition and the Audi RS 5. As yet, all we have are photos of the new Pikes Peak Multistrada, so we don’t know if anything has changed except the paint.

Audi did announce a new Twitter-based contest offering a trip for two to Sonoma, Calif., to test the Audi RS 5 and a Ducati Multistrada 1200S at Infineon Raceway. To enter, contestants must use Twitter to explain why they want to take part in the Audi-Ducati track day. Entries must contain the hashtag #cometogether and may include links to videos and photos for those who need more than 140 characters. Continue Reading »

Audi has confirmed it paid 747 million euros (US$919.1 million) for Ducati, a much lower price than initially reported at the time of the sale.

The official purchase price was announced in Audi’s interim financial report for the first half of 2012. The 747 million euro price tag for Ducati is close to the 750 million euro figure reportedly tabled by Audi in late March. When news of an impending deal emerged in April, the purchase price had reportedly risen to 860 million euros. That no longer appears to be the case however.

The interim report also re-affirms Ducati will be recognized as a property of Lamborghini which in turn is a subsidiary of Audi. It was previously announced Ducati Chief Executive Gabriele Del Torchio will not only remain in his post but also assume a seat on Lamborghini’s board of directors. All three brands fall under the much broader corporate umbrella of the Volkswagen Group. Continue Reading »

Ducati is now officially property of Audi AG, with the German automaker finalizing its acquisition of the Italian motorcycle brand. The purchase was completed through Lamborghini S.p.A., another Audi property and part of the overall Volkswagen family.

Rupert Stadler, chief executive officer of Audi AG, has been named president of Ducati‘s new board of directors. Gabriele del Torchio, pictured above, will have a seat at the board and will remain as chief executive officer of Ducati Motor Holding and president of Ducati’s executive committee. Claudio Domenicali, Ducati’s general manager and head of its racing program, will also be a member of the new board of directors.

Also joining the board are Horst Glaser and Axel Strotbek from Audi AG. Del Torchio has also been appointed to the board of directors of Lamborghini, Ducati’s neighbor in Bologna, Italy. Continue Reading »

Audi‘s acquisition of Ducati is still yet to be finalized but that hasn’t stopped the automaker from discussing a possible product of their union.

Speaking at the opening of the new Audi City digital showroom in London, Audi sales and marketing Chief Peter Schwarzenbauer hinted a two-wheeled Audi is on its way, with Ducati playing a vital role in “future mobility solutions” for urban travelers. Schwarzenbauer tells British car site Autocar the new motorcycle or scooter will not simply be a “Ducati wearing an Audi badge.”

The phrases “future mobility solution” and “urban” are usually used together when discussing scooters, so an Audi scooter may be more likely than a motorcycle. Audi’s two German rivals, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have started to delve into scooter territory in recent years. Continue Reading »

Audi AG Chief Executive Officer Rupert Stadler addressed Ducati‘s workforce in Bologna, Italy, for the first time to address his company’s impending acquisition of the motorcycle maker.

Joined by members of Ducati‘s management including President and CEO Gabriele Del Torchio, as well as Thomas Sigi, Audi’s head of human resources, Stadler met with Ducati’s entire workforce of nearly 1000 people to discuss the future of the company.

The address comes after the European Union granted its blessing to the acquisition. The transaction is expected to be completed over the next week, making Ducati officially part of Audi and the even broader Volkswagen Group which also includes brands such as Lamboghini and another recent acquisition, Porsche. Continue Reading »

The European Union has granted approval of Audi‘s acquisition of Ducati, removing any legal barriers to the sale. The approval was expected, but an official decision was nevertheless required before the transaction could proceed.

The acquisition was announced in April but the deal was still subject to examination by anti-trust authorities. That approval came June 28 as the European Commission, the executive body of the E.U. officially granted its blessing. The Commission examined the deal under the simplified merger review procedure ruled the acquisition “does not raise serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market” (also known as Article 6(1)(b) of the E.U. Merger Regulation.) Continue Reading »