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 »

You may remember MotoCorsa as the dealership behind the awfully funny “Manigale” photoshoot, featuring male employees in bathing suits and heels posing like female models on a Ducati 1199 Panigale. The Portland, Ore., dealership clearly knows how to have fun. MotoCorsa also knows Ducati‘s heritage, opening an exhibition of more than 30 significant Ducati motorcycles spanning seven decades.

The “Museo Ducati” exhibition runs through the month of January at the dealership and is open to the public free of charge. The motorcycles on display include several rare and landmark models from Ducati’s history, with some motorcycles being shown in public for the very first time. Continue Reading »

Ducati is introducing a new touring-oriented version of its already genre-twisting Diavel sports cruiser. Unveiled at the 2012 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy, the new Ducati Diavel Strada joins the base Diavel, the Diavel Dark and the Diavel Carbon in Ducati‘s 2013 lineup.

The Ducati Diavel Strada adds a larger seat, touring windscreen, heated grips, revised rear lighting assembly, higher-output generator and two auxiliary power outlets for additional accessories.

The new seat is larger and with revised cushioning Ducati says should make for a more comfortable ride for long distances. With the windscreen offering better wind protection, Ducati was able to raise the handlebars by 0.6 inches and sweeping back 2.36 inches toward the rider to offer a riding posture better suited for touring. Passenger comfort has also been addressed with a back rest, grab rails and revised foot peg to fit around the 41-liter saddlebags. Continue Reading »

Ducati North America reported its ninth consecutive quarter of growth with a 24% increase in retail sales for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2012.

Specific numbers were not released, though we may hear more details when Ducati‘s worldwide quarterly results are released. Ducati did say September was a particularly strong month, reporting a 40% increase on sales compared to 2011′s figures. Continue Reading »

Last month, we wrote about the Diavel Drag Race at World Ducati Week 2012 starring Ducati’s current MotoGP and World Superbike racers and the one and only Troy Bayliss. If you missed it, the retired three-time WSBK Champion Bayliss defeated nine-time Grand Prix Champion Valentino Rossi in the drag race competition on Ducati Diavel Carbons.

Our initial post featured a video of highlights from the drag race competition shot by Italian website Motociclismo.it but it was filmed by a single camera from an awkward vantage point. Thankfully, Ducati has since uploaded a video of the entire competition with live commentary and various camera angles from its official WDW TV coverage.

Unfortunately the commentary is in Italian, but it’s pretty easy to figure out what is going on if you don’t speak the language. It isn’t difficult to make out the names of Bayliss, Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli, Niccolò Canepa, and Lorenzo Zanetti. Continue Reading »

Retired World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss announced he is retiring once again, this time from his duties as a test rider for Ducati.

Bayliss, who retried from racing after winning his third WSBK title in 2008, had been working with Ducati, most notably as a test rider for the Ducati 1199 Panigale. Bayliss tweeted (@TroyBaylisstic) his intention to no longer test on June 23, just hours after beating Valentino Rossi in the finals of the Diavel drag race at World Ducati Week 2012. Bayliss also put in some demonstration laps of the WSBK-spec version of the Panigale, possibly for the very last time.

“Home bound tomorrow, pretty happy , let every one know I will not test again, time for a change, don’t want to hang around like bad smell,” Bayliss tweeted. Continue Reading »

Former World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss out-dueled MotoGP star Valentino Rossi in a highly-anticipated showdown to win the Diavel drag race on the Misano Circuit‘s starting straight as part of World Ducati Week 2012 celebrations.

Bayliss and Rossi faced off in the final round after getting through the preliminary rounds which also featured Rossi’s MotoGP teammate Nicky Hayden, reigning WSBK Champion Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli, Niccolò Canepa and Lorenzo Zanetti. Continue Reading »

Valentino Rossi vs. Troy Bayliss is going to happen. One of the best MotoGP racers of all time and one of the best World Superbike racers of all time head a list of racing stars tabbed to take part in a drag race on Ducati Diavels as part of the World Ducati Week 2012 festivities.

Ducati MotoGP racers Rossi and Nicky Hayden, reigning WSBK Champion Carlos Checa, Effenbert-Liberty Racing’s Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli, former Superstock 1000 Champion Niccolò Canepa, WSBK racer Lorenzo Zanetti and three-time WSBK Champion Bayliss fill the star-studded roster for the Ducati Diavel drag race.

A similar event was held with Ducati Streetfighters during World Ducati Week 2010 with Noriyuki Haga declared the winner (check out the highlight video after the jump). This year’s event will feature the Ducati Diavel Carbon which claims a 0-60 time of 2.6 seconds. Continue Reading »

As expected, Mercedes-Benz’s performance division AMG announced it is cutting ties with Ducati following the motorcycle manufacturer’s acquisition by rival car-maker Audi.

AMG released a brief statement saying, explaining the split and saying it we never in the running to purchase Ducati: “Since the end of 2010 a successful marketing cooperation has existed between AMG and Ducati. The company takeover by a rival car manufacturer has understandably resulted in the end of any further collaboration. The takeover of Ducati was never our aim – our focus lies clearly in developing and producing premium performance cars and we will be concentrating all our energy on this.”

AMG and Ducati have shared a marketing partnership since 2010, with AMG sponsoring Ducati Corse’s MotoGP team. The two companies also collaborated on a special-edition version of the Diavel, which instantly becomes a bit of a collector’s item as the world’s only AMG-branded Audi product.

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The partnership between Ducati and Mercedes-AMG has produced some new fruit, this time a Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG inspired by the Ducati Streetfighter 848′s “Fighter Yellow” color.

It’s been over a year since Ducati and Mercedes-Benz’ performance brand AMG signed a cooperation agreement at the 2010 LA Auto Show. Back in September, the two brands came together to produce the special edition Ducati Diavel AMG at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

The Streetfighter Yellow SLK 55 AMG is a one-off color variant which will be displayed alongside the Streetfighter 848 at the 2011 Bologna Motor Show to symbolize the continued relationship between the two brands.

Continue Reading »